By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Contributor
The road to becoming a professor ““ beginning when a
graduate student receives a doctorate and ending with retirement
““ may span more than half a century.
Along the way, obstacles and distractions can cause future
professors to stray from their path.
“There are a number of pressures and you have to decide
which ones to respond to and which ones to resist,” said
Joseph Rudnick, professor of physics.
Because of the limited number of jobs that open up each year, it
can be difficult to climb over the first hurdle in the process.
Chetan Nayak, assistant professor of physics, said about 30
slots open up for professor positions each year in his field
nationwide, while about 1,000 doctorate degrees are granted
annually.
“I don’t think anyone with a Ph.D. starves, but it
is difficult to get a position as professor,” Nayak said.
Rudnick advised those intending to become professors to be aware
of the challenges associated with the profession.
As it gets progressively difficult to get hired as a professor,
many graduate students aiming to get their Ph.D. keep their options
open.
“I haven’t decided what I will do afterward. I
wouldn’t mind teaching, but probably at a smaller university
to beat the stress,” said Michelle Lum, a fifth-year graduate
student in molecular and cell developmental biology.
The university takes into consideration three major aspects when
hiring a professor: research, teaching ability and experience, as
well as a record of service to the university community, said Donna
Vredevoe, former vice chair of the Council of Academic
Personnel.
“There are a lot of Ph.D.s in my field, so it can be tough
to get a job,” Lum said.
Professors say research is very important since the goal of the
university is to promote both scholarship and research.
Individuals who receive their doctorate have the option to
continue to do research for a temporary period as a post-doctorate.
Nayak was a post-doctorate for a year at UC Santa Barbara before he
was hired to UCLA.
But for some, the post-doctorate phase can be a long one.
“I was a post-doc for eight years and it involved moving
my family around before I received a faculty position. I had a
family and it was very hard on them,” Rudnick said.
In addition, because the salary a professor receives is low
compared to what they could be making with their degree in other
areas, many doctorates look into alternatives.
According to university figures, the salary a professor
receives, ranges from $38,500 to $124,200.
“If I were at a company, I would be highly paid, but I
would not have the intellectual freedom I have at the
university,” Rudnick said .
After seven years working as a professor, the next milestone in
a professor’s life involves being granted tenure, a type of
job security at the university.
Rudnick defined it as “a job as long as you’re still
alive and breathing.”
If the tenure review board decides not to promote a professor
during their eighth year, then he or she is subject to a terminal
year appointment, said Alexis Shaw, manager for academic
policy.
When a professor is given a terminal year appointment, they are
warned about being dismissed from the university.
“The tenure review is a very complete process where
respected figures in the field talk about your research and your
teaching ability,” Rudnick said.
He said the Academic Senate review, an ad hoc committee made of
faculty members, strenuously reviews their files.
Vredevoe, who was this year’s chair of the Academic
Senate, said promotion addresses the same three areas used as
criteria to hire professors and specific criteria can vary between
the various departments of the university.
Rudnick, who was granted tenure in 1980, said the final decision
is made by the chancellor.
“It is not a big deal in terms of money but in terms of
stature, it is a bid deal, it means a lot to people
personally,” he said. “It means you’ve made it in
the system.”
But tenure can mean more than just a stable job because it
infers greater academic freedom.
“As a professor with tenure, there is less fear to speak
out. You’re protected from hostile situations within the
department and its internal politics,” said Carlo Zaniolo,
professor of computer science.
Zaniolo said tenure allows the university the right to let
professors go because they haven’t done enough research.
In addition, tenure can be used as a measure to select which
professors the university wants to keep.
After tenure, a number of options open for the professors as
they reach retirement ““ the final stretch of their long
trek.
Joyce Appleby, professor of American history, has made plans to
retire next year after her 33 years of teaching at San Diego State
University, Oxford and UCLA.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my teaching career. It is
much harder now (to get hired),” she said. “When I did
it, it was relatively easy.”
After they retire, professors still have the choice to continue
teaching or doing research.
“Professors can still be active after retirement. Emeritus
faculty can be recalled to service,” Rudnick said.
Because they have given up their formal obligation, emeritus
faculty, or those that have retired, are only paid through the
university retirement system, he said.
Rudnick, who received his Ph. D. in 1970, plans to retire when
he turns 70.
As Appleby reaches this stage in her life, she reflected on her
journey as a professor.
“I wish I learned certain lessons earlier. I would strive
to improve. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my teaching
career,” she said.