Promoting Alternative Teaching-Professor Hires: A New PATH for Engineering State University

According to recent literature, non-tenure-eligible or non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty comprise between 50-75% of current 2-year and 4-year university faculty members and new university faculty hires. Women comprise a disproportionate number of full-time NTT faculty and there are limited studies that assess the work environment of this faculty group. The purpose of this work is to discuss recent survey data collected from NTT faculty at NC State University (NCSU) to describe current efforts by NTT faculty in engineering to promote development and collaboration between NTT faculty, and to make recommendations for improving the university culture for hiring, fostering, and promoting NTT faculty. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey is a nationally-recognized instrument that is administered to all university faculty at NCSU on a triennial basis with the purpose of assessing faculty satisfaction in various domains of university life including available resources, promotion policies, benefits and compensation, department collegiality, quality, and engagement, and interdisciplinary work and collaboration. For this work, we will focus on recent interventions that have resulted from the COACHE data, specifically discussing improvements in the promotion process for NTT faculty and the development of a NTT support group in NCSU’s College of Engineering. The Office of Faculty Development in NCSU’s College of Engineering initially spearheaded a discussion of best practices for NTT faculty career development and promotion in Fall 2011. Promotional policies that have already been adopted at the University level will be discussed, including those related to letters of support, expectations for national and international visibility, and department voting. Future work at NCSU will focus on NTT faculty career enrichment in addition to the development of more standard procedures for recognizing and evaluating the external impact of research, teaching, and outreach efforts of NTT faculty. Experiences of Women Faculty in STEM There has been a renewed focus on exploring gender differences in academia. While increases in female graduate students have occurred at the doctorate level, this has not translated to a proportional difference in female STEM faculty, and the resulting statistics show a continued disproportionately lower number of women entering the academe. Xu (2008) explores this issue by studying the turnover and attrition issues faced by women faculty. 6 Studies have approached these concerns by exploring the mechanisms that drive these issues. Barbezat (1992) has attributed some of these issues to work environments that are not seen a collaborative or teaching-focused. Further, Barbezat argues that women perceive these environments, especially in STEM fields, to be isolating. 2 Xu (2008) goes on to summarize many studies that point to the social and political biases that limit opportunities for women. For example, the author states that “In reality, such structural-related gender biases mean that women have a smaller chance of being hired; the small group of women who start faculty careers in STEM suffer isolation, marginalization, stereotyping, insufficient support, delay in advancement, and other adversity at work.” 6 P ge 24019.2 According to recent literature, non-tenure-eligible NTT faculty comprise between 50-75% of current 2-year and 4-year university faculty members and new university faculty hires. With the growth in NTT faculty, it is interesting to note that research exploring the experiences of women in NTT roles is quite limited. Recent estimates show a disproportionate number of women in NTT roles in the academe. West and Curtis (2006, p 9) state that “women are significantly overrepresented in these non-tenure track positions, [which are] the least secure, least remunerative, and least prestigious jobs among the full-time faculty” making up 52% of full time faculty in this group. 5 Hart (2011) calls for a need to understand the climate for women in these roles in order to create an environment that cultivates success and respect. 4 Chronister and Baldwin (1999) and Baldwin and Chronister (2001) studied the work life of full-time NTT faculty (men and women) at four-year institutions through the use of surveys, secondary data (National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty), and faculty interviews. 1-2 Hart (2011) summarized their results as “nontenure track faculty experienced boredom in teaching the same classes each semester, raised concerns about not being able to participate in faculty governance, and were frustrated at the lack of support for conducting research”. She expanded upon this work and found that while nontenure track women were primarily satisfied in their work, they were not always treated equitably. She calls for the following three areas of future focus: (1) “faculty and institutions must establish and monitor clear guidelines about the roles and expectations of non-tenure track faculty” (2) “departments, colleges, and universities must provide opportunities for faculty development and related resources, including internal research support, conference travel money, involvement in colloquia, and access to teaching and grant writing workshops” (3) “faculty mentoring programs are crucial”. 4 At NCSU there has been an increased focus in the College of Engineering (COE) to address the concerns identified by the studies discussed above. In the following section we will discuss the formation of a support group for faculty in the COE who hold teaching faculty ranks. Activities and Formation of NTT Support Group in Engineering NCSU initiated a Teaching Professor track in 2005. Prior to that time, faculty who had primarily teaching responsibilities were classified as Lecturers. While there are still faculty whose classification remain Lecturer based with regard to their job responsibilities, most of the teaching-focused new hires in NCSU’s College of Engineering since 2005 have entered the Teaching Professor track. Some individuals who were already classified as Lecturers were migrated to Teaching Assistant, Associate, or Full Professors, depending on their experience and qualifications. There are currently 36 COE faculty in the Teaching Professor track spanning all twelve engineering disciplines and three administrative units, with 23 Teaching Assistant Professors, 12 Teaching Associate Professors, and 3 Teaching Professors. Of the current group on a teaching professor track, 46% are female, compared to 18% female in the tenure track faculty within the College of Engineering. In 2010, the NCSU Provost released the latest white paper detailing best practice recommendations for the administration of NTT policies related to standardized position titles, professional development, support, recognition, evaluation, promotion, contracts, faculty governance and salary. Following this initiative, in 2011 a group of three Teaching Professors initiated a NTT Learning Community within COE, whose objective was to build a learning and support system for COE Teaching Professors at all levels. The initial goals of the group were as follows: P ge 24019.3  Facilitate networking so that faculty can identify potential collaborators as well as mentors  Share information related to promotion and tenure for the Teaching Professor track  Increase awareness of the Teaching Professor role within the college It is worth noting that while 46% of the Teaching Professor ranks in the College of Engineering are female, average attendance at the community’s events has ranged from 63% to 80% female, indicating that the female non-tenure track faculty have a strong interest in networking, learning more about promotion and tenure, and improving their teaching. Female faculty have also taken a leadership role in this group, with the current leaders being 100% female. Female faculty in this group have gotten involved with the NTT organization on campus and have taken a leading role in drawing attention to the concerns of NTT faculty. Results of Initial Interest Survey Based on interest expressed at the group’s initial meeting, a survey was conducted to determine the group’s top priorities and interests. The survey results from the initial group of NTT faculty are shown below in Figures 1-3: