The Possibility of Promotion: How Race and Gender Predict Promotion Clarity for Associate Professors

Abstract

Background/Context The research on promotion to full professor is sparse. Research that does exist has largely emerged from single campuses and studies conducted through disciplinary associations. Extant studies strongly suggest the presence of equity issues in advancement throughout the academic pipeline. Our study uses cross-institutional results to offer analysis of and potential solutions for the problem. Purpose/Objective/Research Question We explore the extent to which tenured faculty members at four-year postsecondary institutions are clear about their prospects of being promoted to full professor and how their background characteristics, institutional characteristics, and satisfaction with various aspects of academic work predict their perceptions of promotion clarity. We are focused on whether cultural taxation in the form of heavy service and advis-ing—often associated with underrepresented minority faculty and women faculty—is a factor. We examine the influence of ideal-worker norms and work/family demands on perceptions of promotion clarity. Lastly, we focus on the structural elements of the academy to frame the topic, rather than focusing on individual agency. Population/Participants/Subjects This study uses data from the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey, a large, national study of postsecondary faculty. Our sample consists of 3,246 individuals who held full-time, tenured positions as associate professor at four-year institutions when they responded to the surveys between 2010 and 2012. The sample was roughly divided between males (54%) and females (46%), and most faculty were employed at research institutions (59%). The sample was predominantly White (82%). The characteristics of the associate professors in the sample are representative of the larger U.S. faculty population at the time of the survey. Research Design This quantitative study uses descriptive statistics to examine patterns in promotion clarity across various demographic and institutional characteristics. We examine how satisfaction variables intersect with perceptions of promotion clarity for associate professors. Then we conduct a series of linear regression analyses to explore the influence of predictors on associate professors’ sense of clarity about promotion. Conclusions/Recommendations Being unclear about expectations of promotion to full professor is clearly of concern to faculty members at four-year universities in the United States, but it is especially of concern to women. Satisfaction with service is a very important variable in predicting perceptions of promotion clarity. For all associate professors, working at certain types of institutions or in particular academic disciplines had an inverse relationship with promotion clarity. The factors associated with lack of clarity about promotion are more structural than individual.

Advancing scholarly excellence at midcareer: the influence of exceptional others on faculty professional growth

“…It is important to offer customized mentoring that serves the needs of the individual, given ambiguity about the path to becoming a full professor, the complex demands and competing expectations placed on tenured faculty and individual choices and contexts (Mendez et al, 2020). Mentoring at midcareer has been shown to be of value in preparing faculty members for leadership roles, yet there are known challenges to effective mentoring for midcareer faculty (Cardel et al, 2020;Kulp et al, 2019) and an unfulfilled need for mentoring at this stage (Baker et al, 2019a, b;Trower, 2011). In one study of 13 institutions (Lunsford et al, 2018), only 35% of midcareer faculty reported having a mentor.…”

“…Mentoring at midcareer has been shown to be of value in preparing faculty members for leadership roles, yet there are known challenges to effective mentoring for midcareer faculty (Cardel et al. , 2020; Kulp et al. , 2019) and an unfulfilled need for mentoring at this stage (Baker et al.…”

It Could Be Us: Black Faculty as “Threats” on the Path to Tenure

“…Again, while service is a requirement for every faculty member in some capacity, Black professors engage in a disproportionate amount as the lack of representation increases the service load for minoritized faculty. Scholars refer to this disproportionate amount of service as "cultural taxation" or the "Black tax" Guillaume & Apodaca, 2020;Kulp et al, 2020). Padilla (1994) is credited with coining the term "cultural taxation" and specified six different types:…”

“…Again, while service is a requirement for every faculty member in some capacity, Black professors engage in a disproportionate amount as the lack of representation increases the service load for minoritized faculty. Scholars refer to this disproportionate amount of service as “cultural taxation” or the “Black tax” (Arnold et al, 2021; Guillaume & Apodaca, 2020; Kulp et al, 2020). Padilla (1994) is credited with coining the term “cultural taxation” and specified six different types:(1) Being the “expert” on matters of diversity (regardless of the scholar's preference); (2) Being called upon to educate majority group about diversity, regardless of interest; (3) Serving on affirmative action task committees; often culminating in unimaginative recommendations with limited structural impact; (4) Serving as liaison between the institution and ethnic communities, without being in agreement with the institution's approach to community members; (5) Sacrificing time from one's work to serve as “solver, troubleshooter, or negotiator” for conflicts among administration, students, and community; and (6) Serving as translators for non-English speaking visitors to the campus.…”

Committed to their craft: Understanding the relationship between job crafting and work commitment among faculty in the United States

“…However, one study of university faculty in Ghana found that female faculty exhibited more normative commitment than their male counterparts (Gyamfi, 2019). In addition, the impact of cultural taxation may negatively affect the commitment levels of underrepresented faculty in contexts with low racial or gender diversity (Kulp et al., 2019).…”