Roberta Hawkins and Higher Expectations: How to Survive Academia, Make It Better for Others, and Transform the University 

Co-authors Roberta Hawkins (left) and Leslie Kern (right).  Photo credit: Roberta Hawkins

Roberta Hawkins is the Co-lead of the Reimagining Care Cluster at the Live Work Well Research Centre (LWWRC). Her work with the Cluster focuses on the different ways care can be practiced in a range of community, academic, and digital spaces. In her own research, Roberta focuses on topics such as feminist geography, ethical consumption, social justice, international development, slow scholarship, and feminist academia.  

Recently, Roberta co-authored a book with Leslie Kern titled Higher Expectations: How to Survive Academia, Make It Better for Others, and Transform the University. Published in May of 2024, this text discusses challenges and opportunities present in the academic landscape. Higher Expectations is a guide for improving working conditions for everyone when operating in a constrained institution. It delves into the critical issues often faced by people who work and study at universities. Exploring power dynamics, overwork, audit culture, and hierarchies of oppression within the institution, Roberta and Leslie analyze research and personal experiences to generate practical advice with the goal of creating a better academia. Higher Expectations encourages innovative teaching, research, and engagement strategies to foster care and systemic transformation.   

In November 2024, Roberta visited Switzerland to present their book at the University of Bern as part of its Better Science Initiative. En route to Bern, Roberta travelled by train with Janet G. Hering, who interviewed her for a blog with Epistimi, a non-profit organization for advancing, increasing, and encouraging the leadership and presence of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine (STEMM) professions around the world. The result was a blog post titled, "A Guide to Surviving and Transforming Academia for the Benefit of All." Visit this post to learn more about Roberta and Leslie’s writing and research process for Higher Expectations: How to Survive Academia, Make It Better for Others, and Transform the University.