Professors concerned about tenure process, differences in salary

By Mary Ann Albright
Gazette-Times reporter

Faculty of color at Oregon State University often feel pulled in many different directions as they mentor students of color, serve on committees seeking diverse viewpoints and struggle to build a network of peers. That's in addition to the teaching and research duties all professors juggle.

At the same time, some faculty of color say they're being turned down for promotions and tenure because their extra service isn't being taken into consideration.

As colleges around the country place an increasingly high premium on diversity, the number of women and minority students filling classrooms mounts. Although society has successfully debunked the notion that higher education is a pursuit best suited to white males, the faces of instructors leading classes aren't nearly as diverse as those of their students.

Faculty of color at OSU and other universities across the nation have expressed concern that they're at a significant disadvantage compared to their white counterparts when it comes to tenure, promotions, service load and salary.

According to the Oregon University System's annual faculty diversity report, minorities accounted for 11.1 percent of faculty in all disciplines and ranks throughout the state's seven public higher learning institutions in the 2002-03 school year. This was a substantial increase over the 5.4 percent faculty of color in the OUS system in 1992-93.

OSU reported 10.9 percent faculty of color during 2002-03, up from 5.5 percent in 1992-93.

Students of color accounted for 13.6 percent of OUS's and OSU's total enrollment in the fall of 2004.

OSU's Association of Faculty for the Advancement of People of Color was founded in 1999 as an informal social group, and now numbers 60 members who meet regularly to advocate for parity, provide a support network and look for ways to make campus a more welcoming place for minorities.

A major concern among members of group is the tenure and promotion process.

"There have been several individuals concerned about how minority faculty are treated in the tenure process at OSU and other OUS institutions for the past few years," said Candace Croney, assistant professor of animal behavior and bioethics, and co-chair of AFAPC.

"Of specific concern is how faculty of color are treated and mentored — or not — prior to their application for tenure, and whether the standards are applied fairly and equitably, especially given the extremely high service load of most faculty of color," Croney noted.

Several faculty members of color recently didn't receive promotions when they were tenured, she said. While tenure means job security, promotions boost a professor's salary and status.

According to OSU Provost Sabah Randhawa, there have been cases where ethnic and caucasian faculty have been tenured but not promoted, or denied tenure and promotions altogether. However, these decisions are based on performance, and how well an employee meets job expectations, not on factors such as gender or race.

The university's promotion and tenure guidelines explain that evaluations are based on merit, and "recognize the level of faculty members' contributions to the missions of the university in teaching, advising and other assignments; in scholarship and creative activity; and in institutional, public and professional service."

Members of AFAPC say the university relies on them to increase minority enrollment and serve on committees seeking a diverse range of viewpoints, all commitments that take up time they could use to publish research or attract grants.

Croney said she frequently mentors minority students who aren't in her department, because they say they feel dismissed by professors in the dominant culture. And even though her service load is high, it's difficult to turn them away.

"I know what it's like for people not to want to bother with you because you're perceived as coming with extra baggage," said Caribbean-born Croney.

Juan Trujillo, who is Hispanic and an assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures, echoed Croney's concerns.

"Socially conscious faculty of color put themselves at risk by leaving aside traditional scholarly activities and working instead to address the needs of people who have not been served well by publicly-funded higher education in the past," Trujillo said. "This form of service is often not recognized in official position descriptions or faculty evaluations."

Salary parity is another issue on college campuses across the nation, including Oregon schools.

The state system reported that the average salary for full-time tenured or tenure-track instructional faculty in all disciplines and all ranks combined in 2002-03 was $60,950, compared to $58,794 for faculty of color.

Although a couple thousand dollars might seem insignificant, Croney said, any salary disparity based on race and ethnicity is unacceptable.

Randhawa said that the university completed a salary equity study during the 1996-97 school year, and plans to launch a follow-up inquiry next year.

Randhawa is committed to addressing any income inequalities based on race, although he said pay adjustments would require that the university end its two-year salary freeze.

One possible explanation for salary differentials is that many faculty of color belong to departments such as education and the liberal arts, which generally pay less than professional disciplines such as business and engineering, Randhawa said.

Another factor in salary parity is overall salary compression, he said. In order to attract new faculty, OSU must pay the market rate, which is much higher than the entry offers faculty received in the past. OSU hasn't had the resources to increase the salaries of its seasoned faculty to put them on par with its new recruits, Randhawa noted.

Randhawa acknowledged that faculty of color experience "quite substantial" service loads.

"The service load issue is real," he said. "It's not just a perception."

OSU takes the concerns of AFAPC seriously, said Anne Gillies, affirmative action associate in the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.

"The good news is there's a lot of support at all of the institution for diversity, and a commitment to look at any differential impacts and rectify them," Gillies said.

At OSU, AFAPC and the President's Commission on the Status of Women, in conjunction with the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, the Office of Community and Diversity, and the Faculty and Senate Promotion and Tenure Committee, are conducting interviews and group meetings with various faculty regarding the promotion and tenure process. The results of this investigation will help craft a larger study to be launched next year.

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at maryann.albright@lee.net or 758-9518.