Re:MIT abandons use of DEI statements
by ethbr1 on Monday May 06, 2024 @09:03AM
(#40274153)
Definitely mortality.
For those unfamiliar with how org structures work in academia/tenure... (at least, assume this is still true)
Once attaining tenure, your promotion track focuses on faculty leadership positions.
These positions are selected by a combination of administration & faculty. It varies institute to institute, but strong candidates usually have backing from both.
These positions are almost always held by tenured faculty, as non-tenure is looked down upon for historical/political reasons.
Note: You only need to please 2 types of stakeholders: administration & faculty.
Ergo, the path to promotion becomes:
- Make tenure
- Politick with faculty colleagues
- Politick with administration
- Wait for someone to die
This leads to a weird bent where your bosses (faculty) are selected for their ability to navigate political winds and say the thing that most people agree with, moreso than being disagreeably brilliant.
For those unfamiliar with how org structures work in academia/tenure... (at least, assume this is still true)
Once attaining tenure, your promotion track focuses on faculty leadership positions.
These positions are selected by a combination of administration & faculty. It varies institute to institute, but strong candidates usually have backing from both.
These positions are almost always held by tenured faculty, as non-tenure is looked down upon for historical/political reasons.
Note: You only need to please 2 types of stakeholders: administration & faculty.
Ergo, the path to promotion becomes:
This leads to a weird bent where your bosses (faculty) are selected for their ability to navigate political winds and say the thing that most people agree with, moreso than being disagreeably brilliant.