UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tenured and tenure-track positions make up 47.5 percent of Penn State faculty, according to Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Blannie Bowen.
Bowen reviewed statistical information about Penn State’s faculty along with the University’s tenure policies and procedures at the Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Affairs and Student Life today (Sept. 15).
According to the 2015-16 Annual Report on Faculty Tenure Rates from the Office of Planning and Assessment, 55 percent of the 1999-2009 faculty cohorts achieved tenure after seven years. That number is 55 percent for female faculty, 62 percent for male faculty, 55 percent for minority faculty and 61 percent for non-minority faculty.
Bowen noted that these Penn State faculty numbers reflected similar figures reported by 13 Association of American University peer institutions.
While all faculty receive reviews on a yearly basis, tenure reviews take place at years 2, 4 and 6 for most faculty and at years 3, 6 and 9 for College of Medicine faculty. The review process has three levels of independent review and judgment: the department/campus, the college and the University. To be considered for promotion to professor, faculty must be nominated by a department head or promotion and tenure committee. Time spent in a particular rank is not a criterion for promotion.
In the 2015-16 academic year, 90 percent of faculty with year six tenure cases up for review received tenure.
As of fall 2015, Penn State employed 2,687 part-time faculty. The breakdown of full-time faculty was:
- Professor: 1,340
- Associate professor: 1,281
- Assistant professor: 1,339
- Instructor: 776
- Other (including lecturers, librarians and research faculty): 1,688