Written/Unwritten
Diversity and the Hidden Truths of Tenure
Patricia A. Matthew
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 10/2016
Pages: 332
Subject: Education, Social Science
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9780000000000
eBook ISBN: 9781469627731
DESCRIPTION
The academy may claim to seek and value diversity in its
professoriate, but reports from faculty of color around the country
make clear that departments and administrators discriminate in ways
that range from unintentional to malignant. Stories abound of
scholars--despite impressive records of publication, excellent
teaching evaluations, and exemplary service to their
universities--struggling on the tenure track. These stories,
however, are rarely shared for public consumption.
Written/Unwritten reveals that faculty of color often face
two sets of rules when applying for reappointment, tenure, and
promotion: those made explicit in handbooks and faculty
orientations or determined by union contracts and those that
operate beneath the surface. It is this second, unwritten set of
rules that disproportionally affects faculty who are hired to
"diversify" academic departments and then expected to meet
ever-shifting requirements set by tenured colleagues and
administrators. Patricia A. Matthew and her contributors reveal how
these implicit processes undermine the quality of research and
teaching in American colleges and universities. They also show what
is possible when universities persist in their efforts to create a
diverse and more equitable professorate. These narratives hold the
academy accountable while providing a pragmatic view about how it
might improve itself and how that improvement can extend to
academic culture at large.
The contributors and interviewees are Ariana E. Alexander, Marlon
M. Bailey, Houston A. Baker Jr., Dionne Bensonsmith, Leslie Bow,
Angie Chabram, Andreana Clay, Jane Chin Davidson, April L.
Few-Demo, Eric Anthony Grollman, Carmen V. Harris, Rashida L.
Harrison, Ayanna Jackson-Fowler, Roshanak Kheshti, Patricia A.
Matthew, Fred Piercy, Deepa S. Reddy, Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez, Wilson
Santos, Sarita Echavez See, Andrew J. Stremmel, Cheryl A. Wall, E.
Frances White, Jennifer D. Williams, and Doctoral Candidate X.