From the Nominator

“This op-ed grew out of a recent report by the Chronicle of Higher Education showing that only 2.1 percent of tenured associate and full professors at U.S. universities were Black women. We reached out to Malka Jeffries-EL, a Black associate professor of chemistry and associate dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, to see if she would be interested in writing about the subject.

In this thoughtful, probing essay, she examined why there are so few Black women tenured faculty and discussed what needs to be done to remove the systems of oppression that conspire to make it so difficult for Black women in academia to advance. This piece was widely shared and commented on by faculty and PhD students, not just at BU, but at institutions of higher education across the U.S. The comments posted at the bottom of the story are one indication of readers’ reaction.

The story was also shared widely via BU’s social media channels. Professor Jeffries-EL shared the story on her LinkedIn account, where it received more than 6,000 engagements, and on Twitter, where it was widely retweeted. In addition, numerous groups, including Harvard Medical School’s Black Postdoctoral Association, Chem Inclusion, and the Wellesley Club of Silicon Valley, shared the story. The piece also drew the attention of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which recently invited Professor Jeffries-EL to write a blog for them about reimagining the tenure process.”

From the Judges

This submission addresses an important and timely topic that is relevant to all of higher education, particularly those in leadership positions. It was well-argued and written, with research to back up its convincing thesis. We especially appreciated its clear call to action and its accessibility to a wide audience.