A step forward for professors with families

Last month, the University announced reforms to its tenure process that we as a board believe will have positive effects on our campus. The University's new tenure extension process — which automatically grants faculty members an additional year to pursue tenure after the birth of a child — is imminently reasonable and timely.

Prior to the change, faculty members had to request extensions after childbirth, causing some professors to fear that their request would reflect negatively on them when they came up for tenure. This is a well-documented concern at universities across the country, particularly among female faculty members who often serve as primary caretakers for their children while also pursuing their careers. With all faculty members with newborn children automatically receiving the extension, however, the stigma should be greatly reduced.

Further, we are proud that the University has decided to grant the automatic extension to faculty members of both genders — something that a similar policy at MIT does not do. The administration correctly views tenure as a family issue rather than as simply a gender issue.

Finally, it is refreshing to see the administration take concrete action on an issue. The policy, which was born of a task force on Princeton women in the sciences that President Tilghman convened in 2001, is not a cosmetic change. It will undoubtedly have positive ramifications for junior faculty. Tilghman has repeatedly stressed the importance of family-friendly tenure policies in bringing women into the academy. Now the administration has gone beyond talk.

Tenure reform is much more than an issue of gender; it affects both men and women, and now members of both sexes will have greater opportunities for quality family time without jeopardizing their tenure application. In this instance, the University seems to have gotten it just right.