A new report from the Modern Language Association shows that English and foreign-language departments routinely promote male associate professors to full professors faster than they promote women. According to an article in The Chronicle:

The report shows that women at doctoral institutions take two and a half years longer than men to reach full professor. The gap shrinks to one and a half years at master’s institutions, and the smallest gap—a year—is at baccalaureate colleges. A closer look at private independent colleges by the association revealed that women there take three and a half years longer than their male counterparts to advance to associate professor.

Over all, the average time to promotion for female associate...

Here’s the latest presidential news …

Trustees of Northwest Florida State College today ousted James R. Richburg, the college’s president, who faces felony charges related to the financing of a planned $6-million college facility, The Miami Herald reported. The board also voted to effectively scrap the state-backed project, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

A grand jury recently indicted Mr. Richburg and a Florida lawmaker, Rep. Ray Sansom, accusing them of falsely securing state money to build an aircraft hangar for a friend and major...

Most on-campus interviews include some sort of meal component. Many candidates dread those events for a number of reasons. Some have food allergies. Others have picky or restrictive diets. An increasing number have had limited experience with semi-formal dining etiquette. Most fear the pressure of having to talk while eating (if you have to talk and can’t eat, you’re left feeling weak for the rest of the day).

I’ve also heard of gaffes related to menu selections. Lobster? Too pricey. Small steak? Politically incorrect. Big Salad. Too fussy. Not to mention the potential dangers of alcohol consumption or the tricky world of ethnic foods.

Ironically, just about the only time most faculty members eat with one another is at those search dinners!

What suggestions would you offer for meals during the interview process?

Linda Bunnell, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, has resigned following a hit-and-run incident that occurred after she had bought three alcoholic drinks, the Associated Press reported.

In mid-February, Ms. Bunnell hit a parked car with her state-owned vehicle, then drove off. She later acknowledged that she had purchased a cocktail and two glasses of wine at a club in Madison, Wis., before the accident, but “she had time to drink only one of the three and was not tipsy at the time of the crash,” according to local news reports.

The hit-and-run appeared to be just one of many problems Ms....

In a meeting today with one of our deans, he and I began to talk seriously about an upcoming faculty search in his school, one we want to start right away in the fall. It’s hard to think about next year in the midst of the utter chaos of the end of this one, but it’s probably a good idea for both hirers and potential candidates to spend at least a little time planning their searches.

In this instance, we already have an approximate job description, as the search will be to replace a longtime faculty member who is retiring at the end of next spring. But in a larger context, the faculty in the school in question needs to think very hard about what it expects of this new colleague beyond the basics of teaching, service, and research. In a small institution like mine, each faculty member can have a significant impact on his or her program, and even on the...

In a response to one of my blog posts, a faculty member lamented the strained relations between the Republic of Faculty Off the Tenure Track, and the United Kingdom of Tenured Professors. “Why, oh why,” asked the faculty member, “can’t we just all get along?”

It’s an interesting question, and I agree that a serious diplomatic divide persists.

Are adjunct faculty members viewed as “less than” simply by virtue of the fact that they teach off the tenure track? Several commentators on my blog entries have made such claims: Full-time faculty members deserve X because they publish, do research, advise students, advise student clubs, serve on committees, participate in governance, etc. Those duties are integral to well-run institutions. Are full timers simply envious of the fact that part timers don’t have to do any...

Everyone is stressing out during the end of the year stretch, so I thought I would post something a little lighter:

I have some secrets in my office.

I keep a small clock on the shelf that sits behind my primary guest chair, so that I can keep track of the time without looking at my watch. I keep a very plain tie and a navy blazer on a hanger in case I have unexpected visitors on days when I am not wearing my normal decanal attire. I keep an old cardigan under my academic regalia, just in case the office gets chilly. I have a few objects on my shelves that serve as conversation pieces, especially for students and their families. I have an assortment of animal crackers in a drawer for late afternoon snacks (and the occasional missed meal). I have a file filled with rejection letters from jobs and journals that I look over from time to time to maintain my...

In an unusual move, faculty leaders at Chicago State University have asked the governor of Illinois to oust the university’s entire Board of Trustees, the Chicago Tribune reported yesterday. The Faculty Senate’s unanimous vote yesterday included a plea to halt Chicago State’s presidential search, which is set to conclude next week.

The two finalists who have emerged in the search are Wayne D. Watson, the departing chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, and Carol L. Adams, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services. But some students and faculty members have protested the search, calling the finalists unqualified political insiders who have been controversial in their current...