Dr. Maria Holland
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mholla.bsky.social
Dr. Maria Holland
@mholla.bsky.social
150 followers 61 following 16 posts
Ass Prof at Notre Dame, studying the mechanics of the brain and other soft stuff. Mamá. Pro-life/whole-life because science. Tweets are my own.
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mholla.bsky.social
We wanted to bring some light to these experiences and share some policy suggestions: (5/6)
There are ways to improve these policies so that they better benefit both individuals and institutions. Here, we offer extension-related policies that support the success of early-career faculty, based on the literature and our own experiences. These include giving candidates agency through the flexibility to opt out of extensions and clear standards for tenure that are independent of a timeline. In cases where candidates do choose extensions, we urge universities to make them more equitable by extending funding along with the timeline and by mitigating the long-term consequences on salary.
August 16, 2024 at 6:45 PM
mholla.bsky.social
And when faculty try to opt out of the extensions they're eligible for, they're viewed as going up "early" (3/6)
In many cases where faculty request or are granted tenure clock extensions and then wish to go back to their original clock, university policies often require adherence to the adjusted clock and label the original clock as “early.” This revised expectation can (and often does) occur, even at universities with nominally opt-out policies due to cultural norms around tenure and promotion. Thus, formal policies supporting opt-out options, while important, offer only a partial solution. Faculty should be able to opt out without being viewed as going up for early tenure, which is generally known to be held to a higher standard. Otherwise, having achieved similar productivity as someone lacking the circumstance that necessitated the extension, their case could nevertheless appear weaker in light of the “early” designation. The tenure track illustrated as a race up a hill. The typical tenure track involves reaching the bar for tenure in 5 years, although it can be as much as 8–11 years. In the case of an extension, the intention is to allow an additional year to reach the same bar; this results in a slightly lower “slope” to account for the presence of challenges along the way. However, in reality, the bar for tenure often gets higher. Faculty have to climb a steeper slope for more time, while simultaneously having to navigate multiple obstacles.
August 16, 2024 at 6:44 PM
mholla.bsky.social
Extensions are becoming more and more common (e.g. COVID) and they're accumulating for some faculty (2/6)
AAUP’s original 1940 “Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure” (9) stated that the tenure clock should not exceed seven years, under the rationale that it was intended to be a fixed probationary period, not an indefinite sentence. This policy is interesting in light of the increasing number of faculty with multiple extensions. And this is not a hypothetical scenario; we know of one junior faculty member who accrued, during five years on the tenure track, an astonishing four years of clock extensions. These much longer clocks call for extra attention, to make sure that they help, rather than hinder, faculty.
August 16, 2024 at 6:42 PM
mholla.bsky.social
I love Gradescope in general, but their data visualization is COMICALLY bad.
histogram showing that all 10 students scored between 0 and 95 points.
October 18, 2023 at 10:41 PM