Part I - Examining Literature and Narrative Accounts of Women of Color in the University
In their 1999 article examining the challenges borne by women of color negotiating tenure,
Anna Agathangelou and Lilly Ling recount the experiences of an Asian American female faculty
member and the evaluations of her teaching. The woman was teaching at a predominately white
private liberal arts university in the Northeast and was in a Political Science department that
consisted of 25 senior faculty, of which she was the only non-white faculty member and one of only
three women. In the course of the review of her tenure case, the department centered it’s discussion
on her teaching and research record. Agathangelou and Ling recount that in their selection both the
department chair and the chair of the candidate’s teaching review committee, “commended the
candidate on her teaching skills.” In fact, the department chair reported that “many felt that the
candidate was ‘a person with many impressive points as a teacher, including great seriousness of
purpose and sustained efforts to broaden the curriculum and students’ minds.’ Furthermore, the
department “was aware of a number of letters commenting favorably on [her] teaching and…joint
authorship of papers with graduate students” (p. 10-11).”
However, these positive evaluations did little to inspire confidence in the candidate’s
committee and department in the face of other negative teaching reports.
Both department and committee chairs professed bewilderment that the candidate’s teaching
also provoked polar reactions from students – especially for ‘two of our important courses.’
Unfavorable comments characterized the candidate as ‘rigid, arrogant, and impatient,
creating for some students an atmosphere in the classroom that is threatening enough to
impede their ability to learn.’ Further, some senior faculty felt that the candidate pitched her
teaching ‘at too high a level,’ thereby ‘leaving some students behind…The committee chair
affirmed that the department, ‘found disturbing comments such as ‘She always has to be
right,’ ‘She doesn’t take students ideas seriously,’… adding that: ‘In fact, we found
ourselves pondering why [the teaching evaluations] seems to resemble a Jekyll and Hyde
situation. Some students thought you were the best teacher they’ve ever had, others had real
problems with you’ (Agathangelou and Ling, 1999, pgs 10-11).
In the end despite considerable debate and a contested vote, she was denied tenure.
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Convention