What is the time interval needed to jump from an Assistant professor to Associate to a full fledge professor? Thanks for the clarification. Eli
About 6 months, give or take a few weeks, most of it spent on your knees (a position from which it is extremely hard to jump). Gus Sainz
Typically, new faculty that are hired into a tenure track position start as Assistant Professors. Although schools vary, usually decisions on tenure are made after six years of teaching. The decision to promote someone to Associate Professor isn't directly tied to tenure. There are some Associates that don't have tenure. For example, sometimes individuals are promoted to Associate to recognize good performance, perhaps after 3-4 years of teaching. On the other hand, when folks receive tenure at most schools they are promoted to Associate Professor. Full Professor comes later - and there aren't any typical timeframes. Some folks that obtain tenure tend to "check out" and do little to deserve promotion to full professor. At many schools promotion to Full Professor is a reward for performance at the Associate level. Thakns - Andy ------------------ Andy Borchers, DBA NSU (1996)
One more point - if you don't receive tenure after 6 years most schools give you one more "terminal year" and then expect you to disappear. Thanks - Andy ------------------ Andy Borchers, DBA NSU (1996)
I'm glad this topic came up as I have always wondered about a certain Chemistry teacher I had during my undergraduate study. He still held the position of Assistant Professor even after 20 years of teaching at the same university. He wasn't a bad teacher (although not awe inspiring). He held a Ph.D. from a reputable university. Why would one "still" be an Assistant Prof after that long? Not enough publishing? Not too good with the politics?
The U.S. is filled with people who hold doctorates and wander from school to school about every six or seven years. Not granted tenure, they have to move on. Most people think tenure comes from being an excellent instructor. You would be sadly mistaken, as I found out 17 years ago after I received a department "instructor of the year" award. I heard the tenured faculty whisper, "Kiss of death." They were right. I wish I knew then what I know now.
Thanks for the information provided but what exactly does it take to make this move? Is it playing politics? Publications? Thanks, Eli
Eli, the typical three criteria for promotion and for tenure are teaching, scholarship, and service. In practical terms, teaching and scholarship are almost always more important than service. If an institution is research oriented or wants to be perceived that way, then scholarship is weighted most heavily. The "unofficial" criteria, i.e., related to one's ability to navigate the B.S. of academe, also count, their influence depending on the level of dysfunction of one's school. At some schools, faculty rank and tenure are linked, at others, they are not. On occasion you'll see someone who apparently has met some standard for long-term job security (either renewable contracts or tenure), but appears stuck for many years (8, 15, forever) at either the assistant or associate rank. Usually this is reflective either of (a) not having a terminal degree (Ph.D. in arts & sciences) and/or (b) not being very productive in a scholarly mode. Hope this helps.
Eli - David is exactly correct here - the focus is on teaching, research and service. Schools vary on the relative weight of the three. A wise move for a prospective faculty member is to figure out what an institution's preference is. If you're a great researchers - go to a school that values it. If you're a great teachers, avoid research schools and focus on teaching oriented institutions. One more aspect of the politics. Some schools have desired ratios (upper limits) of tenured faculty. If you hire into a department that is loaded with tenured folks, you may get turned down because the institution has a limit in place. This may be altered a bit if the school uses lots of adjuncts - adjuncts are easily dropped and provide a buffer against an economic downturn. Thanks - Andy ------------------ Andy Borchers, DBA NSU (1996)
And also . . . Both rank and tenure are available as bargaining chips in a hiring situation, when the school really wants someone to sign on. When I was heavily recruited by the University of Iowa, in ancient times, despite no prior university teaching (other than as a graduate assistant) or publications, they offered me the rank of Associate Professor, and tenure. While pleasing, this was not all that rare. Indeed, Marina's chairman at Vanderbilt was offered (to lure him from Yale) full professor, tenure, plus an excellent teaching job for his wife. One can only wonder what Notre Dame offered them to move on to there five or six years later?
