Inside Higher Ed reports on a study by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) based at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Speaking of the study, which examined recruitment and retention of next generation professors, Inside Higher Ed concludes “experience of junior faculty members continues to vary based on gender and race.” As COACHE’s director Cathy Trower said, one must remember the difference between establishing sound policies (which many institutions have done) and making sure that they are effective and working for everyone (which is more difficult). “A change in policy does not necessarily mean a change in practice or climate,” she said. COACHE’s own report on the study notes that “A section examining numerous aspects of the climate, culture, and collegiality of the workplace revealed differences of opinion between male faculty members and their female counterparts and between white faculty and faculty of color. For example, with the exception of their level of satisfaction regarding personal and professional interaction with other junior faculty colleagues, female faculty members felt less satisfied than males with all of the other key climate variables. Without exception, faculty of color gave all climate aspects lower marks than did their white counterparts.” So policies aside, now we must determine how to meaningfully adjust culture…or figure out how to live with what we’ve got…
–Kim Diana Connolly
