Faculty by Track and Discipline

In the fall of 2017, there were 1,276 full-time faculty members employed at UD: 942 tenured or tenure-track, 279 continuing track, and 55 faculty in temporary positions. Faculty composition with respect to gender and race varies by both rank and by discipline.

Tenure-Track/Tenured

The representation of women among tenure-track (TT) and tenured faculty members has shifted over the last ten years, moving toward greater gender parity at the assistant professor and associate professor ranks, with a slower rate of increase at the full professor rank. In 2006, 32% of tenured and TT faculty were women; in 2017, that percentage is 38%. Among TT and tenured full-time faculty members, women representation is best in the assistant professor rank at 53% up from 42% in 2006. At the full professor rank in 2017, women comprised 28% of all full professors, up from 24% in 2006, and at the associate professor rank, women represented 44% of all associate professors in 2017, up from 35% in 2006 but down from last year’s data with women at 46% of all associate professors in 2016.

The proportion of women among assistant TT professors continues to hover around 50%, where it has been for the last four years. The proportion of women among associate TT professors has seen its increase above 40% achieved in 2014 sustained for another few years (now at 44%). Among full TT professors, female representation has remained steady around 25-26% over the last 10 years now at 28%.

We received additional data on continuing track faculty in comparison to TT/tenured along gender lines. As seen in the tables below, women faculty members are represented in higher proportion at the lower levels. Women represent a higher proportion of full-time TT faculty that are men in the assistant and associate levels and a lower proportion in the full professor level. For full-time continuing track faculty, women represent a higher proportion than men at the instructor and assistant level and a lower proportion at the associate and full professor level.

Full-Time, Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty (Fall 2017)

Chart showing the percentage of male and female tenured and tenure track faculty at UD as of 2017

Continuing Track

Of continuing track assistant professors, 61.1% are women. They represent 43% and 47% in associate and full professors, respectively. Of all women continuing track faculty, only 4% are full professors compared to 7% of men continuing track faculty. See table below for the breakdown within women and men groups specifically.

Full-Time, Continuing Track Faculty (Fall 2017)

Chart showing the percentage of male and female continuing track faculty at UD as of 2017

Discipline

In both STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS), a larger percentage of men full-time, tenured/tenure track faculty hold positions than women full-time tenured/tenure track faculty. In 2017, 32% of the full-time tenured/tenure track faculty were women in STEM programs. Within this same year, in the SBS programs, 44% of the full-time tenured/tenure track faculty were women.

% Female SBS Faculty (Full-Time, Tenured/Tenure Track)

Chart showing the percentage of female Social and Behavioral Sciences faculty at UD from 2006 to 2017

% Female STEM Faculty (Full-Time, Tenured/Tenure Track)

Chart showing the percentage of female Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics faculty at UD from 2006 to 2017

UD ADVANCE Update

UD ADVANCE is a National Science Foundation-sponsored program that aims to enhance UD’s climate to support women faculty and faculty from other underrepresented groups. We are pleased that this fall the Faculty Senate passed a resolution–written by members of the UD ADVANCE leadership team in collaboration with the Faculty Senate and the Provost’s office–that modifies the Faculty Handbook to strengthen formal mentoring for faculty. We are continuing the collaboration into the spring semester, this time to add cautionary language on the use of student course evaluations for assessment and tenure and promotion decisions.

Highlights from the fall 2018 semester included:

  • Workshops on best practices for faculty searches in all seven colleges
  • A public forum to discuss the results of the 2018 faculty climate survey
  • Weekly “Write on Site” on Monday mornings

Upcoming events (see www.udel.edu/advance for details):

  • Brown-bag lunches: What to Do If Your Grant Is Rejected, Feb. 21 and Advancing Women Leaders: The State of Affairs, April 29
  • Promotion and Tenure Panels: March 26 and 27
  • External speaker: Prof. Robert Sellers, Vice Provost for Equity & Inclusion, Chief Diversity     Officer, University of Michigan, April 17