“Perspectives on Midcareer Faculty and Advice for Supporting Them” (Coache, 2014)
This white paper from the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education, based in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, summarizes findings from Coache’s 2012-14 annual surveys of faculty satisfaction and experiences, which showed that associate professors were less content in their jobs than either full or assistant professors. The paper recommends actions that institutions can take to better support midcareer faculty members.
“The Ivory Ceiling of Service Work” (American Association of University Professors, 2011).
This study found that fewer women than men progress from associate to full professor, and that those who earn the promotion take longer than their male peers to do so. The authors concluded that only gender can explain the disparity, not the qualifications of the candidates. The report notes that men hold three-quarters of full professorships, and that proportion has remained steady for decades, despite the increasing numbers of women becoming eligible for promotion.
How to assist professors through the post-tenure blues.
“Standing Still: The Associate Professor Survey” (The Modern Language Association, 2009).
This report of a national study of 7,652 members of the MLA revealed that women take 1 to 3.5 years longer to become full professors than men, depending on the type of institution, regardless of their family status. It also reported that female professors spend less time on research and writing and more time on course-related tasks than male colleagues. In addition, among MLA members with children at home, women devoted far more time caring for them than did men, but caring for children did not slow advancement to full professor. Male professors reported greater job satisfaction than did female colleagues. The report contained various recommendations, including that member institutions establish clearer guidelines and offer greater financial incentives for promotion.
“Mapping the Terrain of Mid-Career Faculty at a Research University: Implications for Faculty and Academic Leaders” (Change, 2008).
In this Michigan State University study, the researchers interviewed 30 randomly selected associate professors at their institution about their experiences, and also asked 20 department chairs and school directors for their impressions of what factors hindered or helped their midcareer faculty members. They then generated lists of many “promising practices” not only for midcareer faculty, but also for the institution, chairs, and promotion-and-tenure committee members (such as that they take a broad view of assessment criteria, and review associate professors every two years).
“Participation, Performance, and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering: What Is at Issue and Why” (The Journal of Technology Transfer, 2006).
This study found that almost all female associate professors in science, technology, and engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology perceive that criteria for promotion beyond the rank are vague and unclear, and that the standards applied “vary with the candidate.” In addition, almost all said these standards relate to such factors as gender, race, and personality. This, the authors found, makes women in the associate-professor rank feel that promotion is out of their control.
