Hi there,
I spent four years at Harvard a few years back, and unless something
has changed since 2002 ...
As in most US universities, the post of 'Lecturer' at Harvard is not
a tenured position. Some, probably most, lecturers are on what is
known as 'tenure-track' -- they will be up for review for possible
tenure after a few years as a lecturer, but Harvard is notoriously
stingy about granting tenure to people in this position. (They're much
more likely to offer tenure to already-established academics who teach
at other schools, luring them away to Cambridge with offers of better
libraries, better resources, more prestige, and the Boston Red Sox.)
The formal title 'Professor' generally indicates that a faculty member
does have tenure (though note that 'Assistant Professor' and
'Associate Professor' are generally tenure-track positions but not
there yet). Full professors are generally called 'senior faculty,'
while asst. and assoc. profs and lecturers are called 'junior
faculty.'
Confusingly, most anyone who teaches a class (at Harvard, as
elsewhere) will be called 'Professor So-and-So' by their students.
This is a term of respect and is used regardless of the teacher's
formal title. I've even head it used for graduate students who take on
some teaching responsibility!
(I should say, BTW, that my experience is with the Faculty of Arts and
Sciences and the Faculty of Divinity. I have no reason to think that
anything is different with the other faculties -- Law, Medicine,
Education, Public Health, and so on -- but I can't be sure.)
Hope this helps,
Roger |
