UB Addresses Claim of Gender Bias

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo administrators have carefully evaluated claims by an ad hoc faculty group of gender bias against female faculty when it comes to promotions.

Data collected and analyzed by the Provost's Office and the Office of Equity, Diversity and Affirmative Action on all tenure decisions between the 2003-04 and 2007-08 academic years show that of the 235 cases that came up for tenure review, 151 males were approved (97 percent) and five males were denied (3 percent), while 72 females (91 percent) were approved and seven denied (9 percent).

The data were presented to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee on March 4 and subsequently shared with all faculty members via email.

"In our analysis of the faculty tenure data, we found that the overwhelming majority of candidates -- nearly 95 percent -- were granted tenure, regardless of gender," said Lucinda Finley, professor of law and vice provost for faculty affairs. "We also found that there are slight, but not statistically significant, differences in the percentages for males and females who were granted tenure. Although not attributable to bias, any slight differential rate of success for some groups of our tenure-track faculty is an issue that we take seriously. We intend to work with the Faculty Senate to examine it thoroughly to determine how we can maximize the conditions and opportunities for career success for all our faculty."

Finley, a specialist in gender-equity issues who has argued women's rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, noted that each promotion and tenure evaluation is based on an individual analysis of each candidate's record.

"The decision to grant or to deny tenure is made solely on the basis of the candidate's scholarly record, teaching excellence and service contributions, without regard to gender, race, religion, age, political views or any other non-relevant characteristic," she said.

The Ad Hoc Task Force on Gender Equity in Promotions at UB, a self-designated group of faculty, claims that 12 of 53 women -- 23 percent -- and 9 of 91 men -- 10 percent -- have been denied tenure between 2003-08. The group staged a protest before the May 5 meeting of the Faculty Senate.

Finley said she has met with the task force and it is using a subset of numbers that is incomplete and misleading. The ad hoc group is using a selective subset of tenure cases that excludes faculty from certain disciplines and schools, and also excludes faculty who came up for tenure from various academic titles, she said, adding that the excluded areas include some of UB's most gender-diverse units where women have flourished.

In addition, she said, the ad hoc group is counting faculty who withdrew from the tenure process as if they had been denied tenure. In fact, many who withdrew are still on the UB faculty, including on the tenure track, she said.

The analysis of tenure decisions revealed that the common reasons for lack of success, to the extent they could be identified, affected men and women equally, Finley pointed out. "These factors suggest that we need to improve the research excellence in some departments and improve the hiring, mentoring and pre-tenure evaluative feedback for tenure-track faculty in several areas," she said.

Finley said the Provost's Office, in conjunction with the Faculty Senate, has formed a Commission on Academic Excellence and Equity to ensure "that the appropriate institutional conditions exist that reinforce UB's commitment to excellence, integrity, collegiality, equity and diversity. The commission is working to make specific policy and practice recommendations to ensure all faculty can excel and flourish."