Princeton Changes Tenure Policy to Appeal to Women Faculty
PRINCETON, NJ
Princeton University has adopted a new policy that automatically grants male and female faculty extra time to pursue tenure after having children. According to the American Council on Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education, Princeton is the first university in the country to adopt such a policy.
The university changed its faculty rules so that assistant professors no longer have to request an extension of the standard six-year term before tenure review to accommodate the birth or adoption of a child.
“What we’re trying to do is make Princeton as family friendly a place as possible,” said Dean of the Faculty David Dobkin. “One thing we’ve been working on here is helping people have work-life balance.”
“It was clear that assistant professors, and particularly women, were ambivalent about using this policy,” said Joan Girgus, a Princeton psychology professor and special assistant to the dean of the faculty on gender issues.
