Is Professor a job title/grade or permanent status?

[Lotpo]

I’m a bit confused about this. Does being promoted to professor in one institution mean you can call yourself professor forever even if you move/lose your job/leave academia. What if you get appointed elsewhere at a lower grade?

I know at my place, there are people who’ve been promoted based on internal service/leadership more than eg significant contribution to their field of research. But once they have the title, there’s no way to tell that!

I know you can be eméritas but you have to apply for that status at our place as well so that’s not automatic, and is just if you’ve retired.

I have several titles - one I was born with, one I earned, and one (Professor) which was conferred on me as a consequence of the post I was appointed to - a Chair (not via internal promotion).

The title I use mostly is "Dr" as that's the one I earned. I tend to think that if I stepped down to an SL job, I wouldn't have a right to the Professor title, but it's highly unlikely I'd ever do that!

The times I tend to use "Professor" are when it's a status thing - for example, if I know I'm going to an external meeting that is man-heavy. I was at an overseas research organisation (evaluating national research applications) and I introduced myself as Dr X, Professor of Y (my particular sub-field), at the University of ABC.

I was always told that there are two types of professorship. One is a personal chair which is usually through applying for promotion to professor and having to show research etc and that stays with you even if you move jobs and institutions. The second is where a job comes with a Professorship for the job and does not confer a personal chair. In which case, the holder loses the professor title if they move jobs/institutions. To make it less clear, some jobs might confer a personal chair if they deem the person appointed worthy.

Right yes, this is what I have always thought- in the same way that I am permanently a Dr. due to my PhD but only an SL because of my appointment at my current university.

I wondered if I’d got this wrong this as saw Kathleen Stock saying she was renouncing her professor title in the paper today- when I would have thought that already happened when she resigned. Then started thinking about the different ways people get to prof and how it wouldn’t make sense for some of them outside the particular university and role.

How do you get to be associate professor? I see someone having this title but they have never done a PhD or any further study and seem to have very little research published, a few articles.

I thought that distinction was more to do with the institution. Ie- department X has three ‘established chairs’, if one leaves they appoint another person into the post at prof level. But department X may also choose to promote some people to prof as a ‘personal chair’ and so have more professors in the department. But if the personal chair leaves, a replacement might be recruited at L or SL, as the chair post disappears with the person.

That might be wrong though!

An Associate Professor is what used to be called a Senior Lecturer. In some fields people are appointed to lecturing posts on the basis of their experience in industry rather than academic qualifications.

That’s the same level as Reader or SL, so traditionally should come with a strong research record. But increasingly institutions seems to promote up the grades on teaching or leadership contributions so not necessarily. Tbf I do think it’s weird if only research counts for promotion considering it’s not the majority of most academics’ actual job. So I can see the dilemma institutions are placed in - in terms of recognising work, leadership and contribution within these limited titles and grades.

Makes sense, I think they are more a lecturer than doing research.

I wondered if I’d got this wrong this as saw Kathleen Stock saying she was renouncing her professor title in the paper today- when I would have thought that already happened when she resigned.

I read her piece in Unherd - the bit about being no longer a professor was journalism, not formal policy! I don't think she's used her professorial title since she was bullied out of her academic job.

One is a personal chair which is usually through applying for promotion to professor and having to show research etc and that stays with you even if you move jobs and institutions. The second is where a job comes with a Professorship for the job and does not confer a personal chair. In which case, the holder loses the professor title if they move jobs/institutions.

Not accurate in any of the Chairs I've held (RG universities). In fact, it's the reverse usually. I was appointed as "Professor and Chair of X." And I was appointed externally rather than promoted up the ranks - the former is generally considered rather more prestigious than being promoted up the scale.

You might be confusing the British system with the US system, in which "Chair" basically means "Head of Department" and all "faculty" are called "Professor" out of politeness, rather than rank.

Ah so it’s bad reporting - I just saw the piece in the Times not the original article. So Prof is in fact a job title, like SL or Reader, not a permanent status.

It was a UK professor who explained it to me in this way.

In my current UK university all of our professors have the title by promotion, we have no positions where people might be appointed as "Professor and Chair of X". Just goes to show how varied UK higher education can be!

RG also - profs by promotion and by external recruitment but no noticeable difference in rank or prestige and my understanding is that you’d keep the title once conferred even if no longer affiliated with a university, eg if you moved into a policy or charity leadership role. Whether you’d practically use it I don’t know - probably personal preference

So Prof is in fact a job title, like SL or Reader, not a permanent status.

Although I'd say Dr Stock remains an eminent scholar and writer, whatever her job or job title.

Professor may not be permanent, but Emeritus Professor tends to be. So, when I was working, I was promoted to a named chair/professor. When I took VS and retired, I was invited to apply to be an emeritus professor. This allows me to keep my email and library privileges, and I can still apply for appropriate grants if I want to. Apparently, the title is for life, unless I do something massively criminal etc.