A Balance of Study and Teaching in Tenure and Promotion Cases
The enhanced role of teaching at majorresearchuniversities suchas Harvard and Stanford has sparked renewed interest and debate, but most of the academy would speculate that research and publication will continue to be a significant, if not major, requirement for tenure and promotionat most institutions. Page Smith, former provost of the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggested that the “publish or perish canon that so distorts the educational mission of the great universities” is alive and well (1991, p. 19). Indeed, it is apparent that the emphasis on publication has increased in the recent history of higher education. Arizona State University President Lattie Coor, when proposing the establishment of a major commission to explore the role of teaching at his institution, stated: “There is no question that the scholarly activity of a faculty member has assumed a greater place in university life over the past 20 to 30 years” (1990, p. 1). Still, recent stirrings suggest that institutions may be placing more importance on teaching. Ernest L. Boyer, for example, has argued eloquently for an expanded definition of scholarship that would include not only the discovery of knowledge (original research), but also the integration and application of knowledge with teaching (Boyer, 1991). It is not easy for the average university faculty member to meet tenure and promotion requirements, but it can be particularly difficult and occasionally frustrating for those who are in professional units such as journalism and mass communication. Faculty members in these departments often are involved in “creative activities” such as producing radio and television programs, writing newspaper and magazine articles, publishing textbooks and popular books, and engaging in media consulting. When submitted to university committees as tenure criteria, these activities may be considered weak or lacking in scholarly virtues when compared to the more traditional demand for publication of refereed journal articles. As a result, journalism and mass communication fac-
Junior Scholars in Search of Equity for Women and Minorities
This paper reflects upon the 2002 report on the status of women in journalism and mass communications education that updated and expanded the 1972 study by senior authors Rush and Oukrop. Survey data from the 1972 and the 2002 studies are compared in a highlights section. The focus of this monograph is on the demographic group of “junior scholars” from the 2002 database. It argues that the majority of junior scholars perceive discrimination in several aspects of academic life, including the processes of hiring, promotion, and tenure. The major area of discrimination reported is salary, although rewards other than financial are also subject to unequal treatment. Furthermore, junior scholars are still confronted with centuries-old prejudices that define the role of women as caretakers and impose that role upon them, with effects on women's professional development. The working conditions in the academy are finally reflected in the research outcomes and knowledge produced. The 2002 study report demonstrates that 30 years later women still perceive discrimination. Women and minorities have made great strides in the national organization, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), but discrimination remains a significant issue in the individual academic units of universities. This monograph argues that the Ratio of Recurrent and Reinforced Residuum (R3) consistently fits data about women in journalism and mass communication both in the academy and in media professions around the world. This paper includes reflections and comments of younger scholars currently at different stages on the academic ladder and makes recommendations for short and long-term actions that new scholars, academic units, and communications organizations should take to help correct inequality.
Marie Curie's doctoral thesis: Prelude to a Nobel Prize
This paper is a critical account for the most significant body of Marie Sklodowska Curie's scientific work, presented in the hopes that she be remembered for more of the "right" reasons. It also offers some new insights into her methods and results.