Created with a singular purpose: To increase the number of junior business faculty of color receiving tenure
Business schools have been called to lead and invest in efforts to build a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable community. The role of the business school professor has become increasingly important in this work. Students cite the diversity of their faculty as an important indicator of the inclusive climate of their schools, and the promotion and advancement of faculty of color has received increasing attention in recent years.
We all have work to do in this area. Faculty of color are most likely to be Assistant Professors, and the number of faculty of color decreases sharply with each step in the promotion ladder. In addition, faculty of color are least likely to report that their university is supporting diversity and inclusion. By increasing the chances that Assistant Professors of color go up for and receive tenure, we help to attract a more historically underrepresented student population, further academic research by scholars of color, and further support companies’ goals.
Tenure Project objectives
The Tenure Project was created to support Underrepresented Minorities (URM), i.e., Black, Indigenous, and Latinx pre-tenure scholars in US business schools. Building from the successful model developed by The PhD Project, we will convene an annual conference designed to achieve several interrelated goals:
Building community to connect junior faculty of color to each other, to senior faculty who can serve as mentors and sponsors, and to external community members who can help accelerate their research.
Supporting research by Assistant Professors of color by providing access or connection to resources (e.g., data, funding, connections), time and space for faculty to develop research and programming designed to hone and refine research skills.
Creating intentional spaces to discuss the issues that are specific to junior faculty of color such as self care, the emotional labor associated with potential tokenism, increased demands on time, responding to microaggressions, and more.
The Tenure Project FAQ
Q: What is The Tenure Project?
The Tenure Project has been created with a singular purpose in mind: to increase the chances that under-represented junior faculty receive tenure at research universities. Building from the successful model developed by The PhD Project, we will convene an annual conference designed to build community, support research and create intentional spaces to discuss the issues that are specific to junior faculty of color such as self care, the emotional labor associated with potential tokenism, increased demands on time, responding to microaggressions, and more.
Q: When is the first conference?
The first conference will be August 1-4, 2022 in Seattle, WA. Click here to register for the conference.
Q: What will we do during the conference?
During this three day conference, there will be panels to professional development topics (e.g., tenure packet prep and meet the editors sessions), panels to discuss issues unique to being an under-represented scholar (self care, responding to microaggressons, etc) and time for community building and informal networking. Stay tuned for a more detailed schedule!
Q: How much does it cost to attend?
We will cover junior faculty conference attendees’ conference registration fees, meals, lodging at Residence Inn University District and provide a $400 honorarium to help cover travel costs and incidentals.
Q: Is The Tenure Project for me?
The Tenure Project was created to support Underrepresented Minorities (URM), i.e., Black, Indigenous, and Latinx pre-tenure scholars in US business schools. Our goal is to increase the number of tenured URM faculty in business schools.
Q: I am not a PhD Project Faculty Member, can I still join The Tenure Project?
Yes! It is not necessary to have participated in the PhD Project to join The Tenure Project.
Q: I am not a tenure track Assistant Professor, can I still join The Tenure Project?
Postdocs who are in business schools are welcome to join the Tenure Project. Visiting Assistant Professors in business schools are also welcome.
If you are a tenured faculty interested in attending, please email the Senior Planning Committee in your discipline to indicate your interest in being a mentor or speaker.
Teaching track faculty seeking tenure are welcome to join the Tenure Project conference, but please recognize that many of the events are focused on research and publishing.
Q: I am not a US Citizen, can I still join The Tenure Project?
Currently, the Tenure Project is focused on supporting junior faculty with US citizenship. Our intention is to create safe spaces for junior faculty to discuss and recognize the biases and challenges to equity for Black, Latinx and Native scholars within the US context. Please reach out if you have questions about eligibility.
Q: I want to learn more about how I can support The Tenure Project!
Email [email protected] if you have any questions.
Tenure Project Senior Planning Committee
| FOUNDING MEMBERS | |||
| Wendy De La Rosa | MKTG | [email protected] | |
| Esther Uduehi | MKTG | [email protected] | |
| Christina Fong | MGMT | [email protected] | |
| Michael Verchot | CBDC | [email protected] | |
| SENIOR PLANNING COMMITTEE | |||
| Adam Galinsky | MGMT | [email protected] | |
| Ashleigh S Rosette | MGMT | [email protected] | |
| Elizabeth Umphress | MGMT | [email protected] | |
| Miguel Unzueta | MGMT | [email protected] | |
| Mark Forehand | MKTG | [email protected] | |
| Maura Scott | MKTG | [email protected] | |
| Keisha Cutright | MKTG | [email protected] | |
| Jarrad Harford | FINANCE | [email protected] | |
| Itay Goldstein | FINANCE | [email protected] | |
| Michael Clement | ACCTG | [email protected] | |
| Ed deHaan | ACCTG | [email protected] | |
| Jason Brown | ACCTG | [email protected] | |
| Noah Gans | ISOM | [email protected] | |
| Sonja Wiley | ISOM | [email protected] | |
| Ming Fan | ISOM | [email protected] | |
The Tenure Project conference will be held at the UW Foster School of Business in Summer 2022 from August 1-4, 2022.
The Tenure Project was founded and created by Esther Uduehi, Assistant Professor in Marketing and International Business at the Foster School of Business and Wendy de la Rosa, Assistant Professor in Marketing at the Wharton School.
