Professors revel in reputation--and nowhere does that show more clearly than in their concern about educational pedigree. That concern takes complicated forms. The author wondered what might happen if graduate admissions were reduced to a level that would only replace retiring professors. One possible consequence of such a move would be that…

Facing a cutthroat academic job market, many doctoral students are now willing to explore the possibility of a community-college career. And they have many questions. In Part 1 of this series, the author focused on the hiring process at two-year colleges and answered some common questions like "Do I have to have a Ph.D. to teach in that sector?"…

This article describes how Whitworth University has made personal essays about applicants' faith a key part of its hiring process. Faculty members are required by the university to explain in written personal statement what they believe and how it affects their academic work. Whitworth officials think this process provides them with a better…

Occasionally, the search committee for a tenure-track position will decide on a candidate who is A.B.D., all but dissertation, and decide to hire him or her with the understanding that the Ph.D. will be completed by a given deadline. In the the form of an anecdote, the author discusses the potential pitfalls--for both the university, the…

In this article, the author offers his ad hoc reflections on the question of just how many academic couples a department could comfortably accommodate from the point of view of good governance, in the hope of getting an honest dialogue started and seeing some reasonable guidelines eventually created by one organization or another as a result. He…

The author was on the academic job market in English eight years in a row. The first four times, he applied all over the place, searching for his first tenure-track job. The next four times, he applied selectively, searching for a position more closely aligned with his academic and personal interests. Although each year on the market was…

Academics can be found all over the Internet commiserating about academic bullying, including on "The Chronicle's" own forums and blogs. There are debates over how to resolve bullying, warnings to other scholars, and even primal cries for help. This article describes three blogs on bullying: (1) Historiann (http://www.historiann.com); (2) On…

Nationwide, minority and female faculty members were trailblazers in the 1960s and 1970s. Only in the past generation have most colleges adopted large-scale plans to diversify their faculties. This article revisited ambitious plans announced at five universities during the past two decades to see how they have fared. They are Duke University,…

Proponents of "diversity hiring" insist that faculty members of color have a different perspective on issues of race and ethnicity that will increase students' understanding of the multiracial, multicultural world they will inhabit in the 21st century. The mere presence of "diverse" faculty members will prepare students for workplace realities,…

In this article, the author describes the hiring dilemma confronting liberal-arts colleges and offers advice to job seekers who are interested in working at liberal-arts colleges. One should read the college's mission statements and research its history. If it's serving a minority-students population and one has worked with those students, one…

Describes how, despite the economic downturn, some colleges have found ways to hire droves of faculty members. (EV)

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) recently commissioned a study to review the research that finds liberal bias run amok in academe. Believing that the AFT is not a dispassionate observer of this debate, this article provides "The Chronicle of Higher Education's" survey of the genre. The studies reviewed include: (1) "Political Bias in the…

With 25 years of teaching experience at Spain's top-ranked veterinary school, 58 articles in prestigious international journals, and numerous patents to her name, Victoria Lopez Rodas would be a strong candidate for any academic job in her field. So when she took a national qualifying examination for a full professorship in animal science last…

In most institutions, the faculty hiring process discourages affirmative action. The determination of top administrators is a key factor in success. (MSE)

Explores how Virginia Tech's aggressive push to hire female and minority professors has led to questions about its fairness and legality. (EV)