,”

• A report said 77 percent of Marquette associate professors have held that status for more than five years
• This is a higher number than most universities
• Unclear criteria, high standards, departmental gate-keeping and lack of incentives might be to blame
• The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment will be enlisted tosee whether this is an issue

A report stating Marquette has a higher-than-usual rate of associate professors remaining in their positions longer is raising questions of why more professors aren't promoted.

Some faculty members said they think varying reasons, including unclear criteria, high standards, departmental gatekeeping and a lack of incentives might be to blame.

The report, conducted by Yardley research group, said 77 percent of Marquette associate professors have held that status for more than five years. This is a higher rate than at typical universities.

Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School William Wiener said, "If this is in fact a problem, I think in general it's a mystery right now."

Wiener said Marquette is asking the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to do an analysis within the next several months to see if this is a problem. If a problem is found, efforts could include asking departments to amend vague criteria and requesting more mentoring from full professors.

He said he sees many associate professors with tremendous accomplishments who haven't gone up for full professorship.

Full professor is the highest professor ranking. Specific standards for full professorship vary by department, but 40 to 45 percent of the decision is based on research, 40 to 45 percent on teaching and 5 to 10 percent on service on committees and in leadership positions at Marquette, Wiener said.

Full professorship is valuable because it carries prestige and having a high number of full professors elevates a university's reputation. The status can also help professors attain grants.

Last year, a $5,000 salary increase was added as an incentive for full professors. Otherwise the difference between associate and full professorship is moreover in expectations, such as taking on leadership roles in and outside of the university, Wiener said.

"A lot of other universities give a lot more than the $5,000 increase," Wiener said.

James Holstein, professor of social and cultural sciences, said this could be because of a culture of indifference to moving up that results from people not seeing enough incentives.

He said it is clear that the standards for promotion, such as the amount and type of research needed, are vague, which could keep faculty from pursuing promotions.

Confusion can be found around normative expectations, formal standards, implicit expectations and different standards in different departments, Holstein said.

Holstein said faculty members also cited relatively heavy teaching loads and the large amount of service many faculty members provide as preventing some faculty members from achieving the amount of research needed for promotion.

William Thorn, associate professor and journalism chair in the College of Communication, said Marquette has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, and this is one area where change has not fully penetrated.

"The importance of the matter depends on what angle you take: Some may say those who really want to move up can do it," Thorn said. "Some women say, 'yes, it's important' because there could be some acts of gender discrimination. Another group may say we need to change the culture to encourage more promotion."

Christine Krueger, associate professor and director of core curriculum of English, said incentives are also needed to promote colleagues at the departmental gatekeeping level.

William Donaldson, professor of chemistry, said he thinks more data is needed for the university to be able to fully discuss the issue, but the university should look into specific concerns.

"I think all departments have the responsibility of making sure they have clear guidelines, faculty members are aware of what those are, and they should be applied fairly and consistently," Donaldson said.

He said, as an ambitious university, Marquette wants faculty who strive for excellence.

"Those that are performing at high levels should be rewarded," Donaldson said.

“