The TICKING of the Biological and Tenure Clocks

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

Volume

22

Issue

20

Publisher

Cox, Matthews, and Associates

Publication Date

1-1-2005

Abstract

Colleges and universities are arguably among the most enlightened and progressive institutions in America. So when it comes to maternity and career policies, one would expect that they would be at the forefront of similarly progressive accommodation practices. But in fact, colleges and universities have only recently begun to address this issue. Princeton University is taking steps to ease the burden for assistant professors who are new parents by enacting a new policy for tenure extension, thereby placing the school at the forefront of family-friendly workplaces. The policy is a result of a study conducted in 2003 and a report this year on the status of women in the humanities and social sciences, which showed that fewer faculty voluntarily requested the extension than expected. The survey also showed uncertainty among the faculty about whether an extension would hurt their careers. The new automatic tenure extension policy reflects Princeton's current focus on improving policies for faculty, especially women.

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