Stephen Vasciannie
LAST WEEK, in an examination room, a lecturer approached with a question: "How does one become a professor at the UWI?" he asked. Perhaps there was a quizzical look on my face, because he hastened to explain: "I am based overseas and am considering whether I should return home. So I want to know what my prospects may be."
At the end of our conversation it occurred to me that there may well be public interest in the matter. So, once again, how does one become a university professor? And what are the main issues that concern the appointment of some, but not all, persons to that rank?
It is important to note, from the outset, that not all professorships are equal. Within the American system, the title professor is used with reference to most lecturers on the staff: under that system there are usually associate professors, assistant professors and full professors, levels that would correspond very roughly with lecturers, senior lecturers and professors within the British system (used in large part by the University of the West Indies).
FULL PICTURE
So then, when Mr. X with a law degree is described as "Dr. X, Professor of Law at This and That American University", we do not really have a full picture of the position of Mr. X if we try to translate this to the Jamaican context. Within the American system, too, some universities rely on positions such as adjunct professor (a part-time position as a lecturer) and distinguished professor (a title that connotes the highest level among the academics at a particular university). Some universities in the American system also have named professors, that is, for example, the John Brown Professor of So and So": sometimes named professorships imply the highest level of professorship at the university in question.
PROFESSORSHIPS
Within the British system, the usual hierarchy is Teaching Assistant/Junior Research Fellow or Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Professor. In the past, however, the title of Professor was reserved for the leading academic at a given university in a recognised field of learning. The practice from the past (which still influences some institutions) was for each department in a university to have one or two professors; and so, persons could only become professors when a vacancy arose with respect to those one or two professorships.
When that system was in full bloom, it sometimes created problems because at any one time there may well have been three deserving candidates for professorial status in a department with only two vacancies. In his biography, A Personal History, A.J.P. Taylor, the most famous British historian of his generation, notes (nay, emphasises) that he was never made professor. From his account, it emerges that on some occasions when he came up for consideration, others were given the edge; and then, eventually, it stopped mattering to Taylor that the professorial title had eluded him.
FLEXIBILITY
Today, however, the professorial system usually allows some degree of flexibility. This is done mainly through the device of the personal chair. A personal professorship indicates that the holder of that title has done enough work to be deserving of the title professor, and so, it is conferred even if the holder's department does not have a professorial vacancy.
With reference to the British system (and to full professors in the American system), persons usually become professors by undertaking extensive research and by publishing the results of their research. At some universities, teaching quality is also considered, and there is often reference to the public service and administrative contribution of the individual being considered for a professorship. All of these factors have a deeply subjective component: as a result, the selection of professors is usually one of the more contentious issues of university politics.
Take the question of publications. With the greatest respect to my editor, publishing columns in a newspaper will not get you near to the professorial table. This is true not only for those writers who feel they must copy ideas from the latest magazines published elsewhere. It is generally true, for the type of analysis and research that is contemplated, for elevation to professorship must be extensive, detailed and authoritative. To be sure, writing a column may count as public service; but the deadlines faced by the journalist, and the word restrictions applicable in most cases, make it exceedingly improbable that journalistic output will bring the candidate to professorial status.
Still with respect to publications, there must, of course, also be a quality component. In one year, Einstein published five articles in Physics that were so breathtaking that he confidently predicted that the Nobel Prize would be his. Five articles would not bring most candidates to the professorial table, but if they have special quality, or if they indicate outstanding ability, they may well do so in some subjects. At some leading American universities, your articles need to be published in specific, high-ranking journals, to count for the purposes of tenure or for full professorial status. Quality must count.
Stephen Vasciannie is a professor at the University of the West Indies and a consultant in the Attorney-General's chambers.
