4 ms·

What does 'more desirable background' mean?

by matthewmorgan 3y ago

hackyhacky 3y ago
In academia, this typically means being attached to more prestigious institutions.
- lazide 3y ago
  Or are likely to attract more lucrative donors.
curtisblaine 3y ago
That she was part of a protected minority.
- postalrat 3y ago
  No. She had a wealthy family.
  - c0balt 3y ago
    Either work. Though being rich is "only" useful when the family is willing to donate to the faculty/ university.
    - kergonath 3y ago
      Just to be clear, donations help getting into a specific institution to study. Which does give a leg up to get a position later (most often in a different institution), but that’s a second-order effect. It does not directly help getting hired.
      - egberts1 3y ago
        Sheesh. Nepotism is raging, notably within academia settings particularly for "nepotism babies". Even University of Texas exempt anti-nepotism for many positions. https://independentprobe.com/2022/11/21/nepotism-and-undue-political-interference-take-over-william-v-s-tubman-university/ https://independentprobe.com/2022/11/21/nepotism-and-undue-p...
        kergonath 3y ago
        What has this got to do with the topic of donations? Here the reason is completely different. Also, some university having a policy against it does not prove that it’s a widespread problem, it’s merely an indication that some problems happened that were high profile enough to make the institution react.
  - hackyhacky 3y ago
    Very unlikely. I have never in my life heard of family wealth being a consideration in faculty hiring, and I've been on hiring committees.
    - washadjeffmad 3y ago
      It's not uncommon. Growing universities with colleges that want endowments, faculty whose families are deeply entrenched in related institutions or culture, and generally prestigious and well-connected people are all necessary and make for perfectly valid candidates. Academics isn't all academics. You need people who can grow and sustain development, attract desirable talent, work at the state and local level, and pull in students. People have to manage the internal administrative duties and external involvement of each school. Plus, some people make excellent teachers and leaders but awful researchers, and vice versa. Others are mediocre but consistent, don't have higher prospects, and take on administrative burdens. There's no real "ideal professor" any more than there's any ideal human.
- kergonath 3y ago
  You’re probably not alone thinking this because of all the noise about affirmative action. Academia is quite different behind the curtain than for students. Sure, they like hiring women because it helps improve their statistics, but the educational background, including institutions where the candidate did their undergrad and PhD is much more important.
  - synergy20 3y ago
    technically there is one possibility: someone got into better schools due to AA, that benefits all things thereafter including possibly the case here. For those who lost the first chance due to AA, the lost is not over yet, unfortunately.
    - cma 3y ago
      Legacy admits counted as much at many places that were segregated in living memory (so a more limited chain of legacies for formerly discriminated races).
    - kenjackson 3y ago
      This sounds like the same argument people make for AA. Except the discrimination happens before college rather than at college admissions.
- stevezsa8 3y ago
  Maybe she used a spell to get the job? I watched this 8-part documentary where kids get invited to a special school to learn magic.
  - throwaway202351 3y ago
    "Invited" is a strong word when almost all of those students were legacy admissions.
cubefox 3y ago
It could also refer to diversity hiring.
api 3y ago
Probably from a more prestigious university or family background, which can cause some of that prestige to “rub off” and can assist in fund raising. In startups this phenomenon takes the form of hires, board members, or advisors with all the right names in their CV (Stanford, Google, etc.) brought in to pump up the company’s prestige points in the eyes of potential investors.

What does 'more desirable background' mean?

hackyhacky 3y ago

In academia, this typically means being attached to more prestigious institutions.

lazide 3y ago
Or are likely to attract more lucrative donors.

curtisblaine 3y ago

That she was part of a protected minority.

postalrat 3y ago
No. She had a wealthy family.
- c0balt 3y ago
  Either work. Though being rich is "only" useful when the family is willing to donate to the faculty/ university.
  - kergonath 3y ago
    Just to be clear, donations help getting into a specific institution to study. Which does give a leg up to get a position later (most often in a different institution), but that’s a second-order effect. It does not directly help getting hired.
    - egberts1 3y ago
      Sheesh. Nepotism is raging, notably within academia settings particularly for "nepotism babies". Even University of Texas exempt anti-nepotism for many positions. https://independentprobe.com/2022/11/21/nepotism-and-undue-political-interference-take-over-william-v-s-tubman-university/ https://independentprobe.com/2022/11/21/nepotism-and-undue-p...
      - kergonath 3y ago
        What has this got to do with the topic of donations? Here the reason is completely different. Also, some university having a policy against it does not prove that it’s a widespread problem, it’s merely an indication that some problems happened that were high profile enough to make the institution react.
- hackyhacky 3y ago
  Very unlikely. I have never in my life heard of family wealth being a consideration in faculty hiring, and I've been on hiring committees.
  - washadjeffmad 3y ago
    It's not uncommon. Growing universities with colleges that want endowments, faculty whose families are deeply entrenched in related institutions or culture, and generally prestigious and well-connected people are all necessary and make for perfectly valid candidates. Academics isn't all academics. You need people who can grow and sustain development, attract desirable talent, work at the state and local level, and pull in students. People have to manage the internal administrative duties and external involvement of each school. Plus, some people make excellent teachers and leaders but awful researchers, and vice versa. Others are mediocre but consistent, don't have higher prospects, and take on administrative burdens. There's no real "ideal professor" any more than there's any ideal human.
kergonath 3y ago
You’re probably not alone thinking this because of all the noise about affirmative action. Academia is quite different behind the curtain than for students. Sure, they like hiring women because it helps improve their statistics, but the educational background, including institutions where the candidate did their undergrad and PhD is much more important.
- synergy20 3y ago
  technically there is one possibility: someone got into better schools due to AA, that benefits all things thereafter including possibly the case here. For those who lost the first chance due to AA, the lost is not over yet, unfortunately.
  - cma 3y ago
    Legacy admits counted as much at many places that were segregated in living memory (so a more limited chain of legacies for formerly discriminated races).
  - kenjackson 3y ago
    This sounds like the same argument people make for AA. Except the discrimination happens before college rather than at college admissions.
stevezsa8 3y ago
Maybe she used a spell to get the job? I watched this 8-part documentary where kids get invited to a special school to learn magic.
- throwaway202351 3y ago
  "Invited" is a strong word when almost all of those students were legacy admissions.

cubefox 3y ago

It could also refer to diversity hiring.

api 3y ago

Probably from a more prestigious university or family background, which can cause some of that prestige to “rub off” and can assist in fund raising. In startups this phenomenon takes the form of hires, board members, or advisors with all the right names in their CV (Stanford, Google, etc.) brought in to pump up the company’s prestige points in the eyes of potential investors.