2019 Annual Conference

Colleges and Universities

Concurrent Session (45 minutes)

A qualitative policy analysis of academic tenure policies from R1 institutions in the Southeastern region of the United States was conducted to evaluate institutional content and understand how the policies and procedures effect tenure-track Black female faculty. The presentation will highlight research methodology, data collection, research analysis, themes, and implications.

This presentation will be suitable for academic administrators, department chairs, educators, students, and others who wish to broaden their knowledge on how bias/prejudice, inequity, and lack of transparency become barriers for Black female faculty in the academic tenure decision-making processes in R1 institutions in the US Southeast region. This presentation will also be suitable for all attendees who wish to gain a better understanding of the qualitative policy analysis approach that was used to evaluate academic tenure policies in this study as well as practical implications to create inclusive, supportive, and democratic practices in tenure evaluation.

Upon completion of this presentation, attendees will know more about on how bias/prejudice, inequity, and lack of transparency become barriers for Black female faculty in the academic tenure decision-making processes in R1 institutions in the US Southeast region. Secondly, attendees will gain a better understanding of the qualitative policy analysis approach that was used to evaluate academic tenure policies in this study. Finally, attendees will be able to implement practical implications to create inclusive, supportive, and democratic practices in tenure evaluation.

Attaining academic tenure is one of the most prestige milestones of a professor’s career (Hertzog, 2017; Lewis, 1980; Yoon, 2016). In fact, Ceci, Williams, and Mueller-Johnson (2006) describe it as the “crown jewel of academic life” (p. 553). However, the history of Black female faculty achieving tenure in the United States has been absent in the worst of times and dismal in the best of times. Several scholars (e.g. Agathangelou & Ling, 2002) point out that this underrepresentation of tenure Black female faculty in higher education is partially due to bias/prejudice, inequity, and lack of transparency in the academic tenure decision-making processes. Other scholars add to the conversation and suggest that ambiguous expectations, unwritten rules (Esnard & Cobb-Roberts, 2018), overt discrimination (Aguirre, 2000), and presumptions of incompetence or intellectual inferiority (Johnson-Bailey & Cevero, 2008) also manipulate the tenure process. It is here that the examination of academic tenure policies is timely. The purpose of this qualitative policy analysis of academic tenure policies from R1 institutions in the Southeastern region in the United States was to evaluate institutional content and understand how the policies and procedures effect tenure-track Black female faculty.

The presenter will engage in an interactive discussion with attendees to discuss research methodology, data collection, data analysis, themes, and implications. The presenter will use PowerPoint slides to provide general information about the examination of academic tenure policies from R1 institutions in the Southeastern region in the United States. In the presentation, the presenter will give some implications of how attendees can create inclusive, supportive, and democratic practices in tenure evaluation. Last, the presenters will provide a Q&A session.