Equity and Faculty Evaluation

Authors: Ward, L. W., & Hall, C. N.

In tenure and promotion denial lawsuits against historically White institutions, Black professors submit evidence of discrimination based on implicit and explicit bias and gendered racism, yet legal redress rarely occurs because many courts will not recognize structural inequities as a persisting reality in academia.

Authors: Jackson, J. K., Latimer, M., & Stoiko, R.

This study sought to understand predictors of faculty satisfaction with promotion and tenure processes and reasonableness of expectations in the context of a striving institution. The factors we investigated included discipline (high-consensus [science and math] vs. low-consensus [humanities and social sciences]); demographic variables; and institutional support including mentoring, collegiality, work-life integration, and college commitment to faculty members’ fields.

Authors: Urrieta Jr, L., Méndez, L., & Rodríguez, E.

This article examines how Latina/o professors perceive, experience, and reflect on the tenure and promotion process. Findings for this longitudinal study are drawn from a purposive sample of nine female and seven male, Latina/o tenure-track faculty participants. Using a Critical Race Theory, Latino Critical (LatCrit) Race Theory, and Chicana Feminist framework, this article documents fundamental inequities in the tenure and promotion policies and practices that affected the Latina/o faculty in this study.

Authors: Settles, I. H., Buchanan, N. T., & Dotson, K.

Faculty of color experience a number of challenges within academia, including tokenism, marginalization, racial microaggressions, and a disconnect between their racial/ethnic culture and the culture within academia. The present study examined epistemic exclusion as another challenge in which formal institutional systems of evaluation combine with individual biases toward faculty of color to devalue their scholarship and deem them illegitimate as scholars.

Authors: O'Meara, K. & Templeton, L.

This report outlines key principles for equity-minded reform of faculty evaluation policies.

Authors: Banerjee, D., & Pawley, A. L.

In this paper, we describe a case study of four faculty members in an STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) college of a research-oriented Midwestern university. On the basis of certain similarities we situate the faculty members on a common platform to compare and contrast their experiences of the promotion and tenure (P&T) application process. Through this, we examine the impact of gender on worklife experiences of STEM faculty members. We ask: (1) How do STEM faculty members who are successfully tenured or promoted describe the P&T application process?

Authors: Kezar, A., & Sam, C.

This study is a qualitative inquiry into the institutionalization of equitable policies for non-tenure-track faculty. Through the theoretical framework of institutionalization, we examine factors and strategies forwarding various policies and practices and the challenges that arise. The results highlight themes throughout the stages of mobilization, implementation, and institutionalization.

Authors: Griffin, K. A., Bennett, J. C., & Harris, J.

Little work has addressed the ways in which race and gender intersect and shape Black professors' experiences as they seek professional advancement. Framed by critical race theory, this qualitative study uses discourse analysis to analyze the narratives of 28 Black professors employed at two research universities. Findings suggest that faculty perceive race and gender influencing their evaluations for academic advancement , with key gender distinctions in discourses about teaching and service in relation to professional success.

Authors: UMD ADVANCE

This brief summarizes findings from interviews conducted in Fall 2024 with 26 PTK faculty who recently went through the promotion process. Participants were diverse in terms of gender; race/ethnicity, title series, and unit. All participants went through the promotion process prior to changes to the campus promotion guidelines. Complementing the PTK Working Group Report Summary by UMD OFA in 2023, this brief focuses on PTK faculty experiences with promotion and outlines key takeaways and recommendations intended to inform improvements in the promotion process and support systems for PTK faculty.

Authors: Cate, L., Ward, L. W., & Ford, K. S.

The tenure evaluation process is characterized by a lack of clarity and governed by unspoken rules. At the same time, while institutions have increased the presence of racially minoritized people among the ranks of faculty over the last 30 years, this growth in numbers has been concentrated among non-tenure track and pre-tenure levels. This study analyzes the ways that ambiguity in the tenure evaluation process contributes to the racialized hierarchy of the professoriate.