Professor Jennifer Diascro’s nearly 20-year career as an academic will be over at the end of the semester, after her request for tenure was denied last spring.
Diascro, a professor in the School of Public Affairs, will leave AU Dec. 31 for the American Political Science Association in Dupont Circle.
She was told her research record was considered unsatisfactory, and her teaching record was not diverse enough.
Diascro came to AU in 2002 from the University of Kentucky, where she was a tenured professor.
She delayed her tenure track two years when she had children, so it took her eight years instead of the usual six.
Before the delay, she said her performance evaluations had been “overwhelmingly positive.” But after, the evaluations became overwhelmingly negative.
“There is no doubt in my mind that my family responsibilities played a role in the process,” she said in an e-mail.
Although she filed a grievance with the Committee on Faculty Equity and Grievances in June, she cannot wait any longer. The committee has not yet met since then, as its last vacancy on was filled last week.
“For me, the decision to deny me tenure — and the pace of the appeals process — has ended my career as an academic,” she said. “The end of this term will mark the end of nearly 20 years of teaching and scholarship.”
Linda Barnhart contributed to this report.
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