Is it exploitative that an institution offered me associate professor when I am qualified for full (and have been full at a previous institution)? [closed]

Question

I am an international academic having received my degrees in 4 different countries.

I began my career in a highly prestigious position in industry, but thoroughly enjoyed research so made a move into academia to an Assistant Professor (non tenure track) at 1/3rd my salary. I then held two Associate Professor positions (both tenure track) before being appointed tenured Full Professor.

I then left academia for industry spending about 10 years there.

I applied for an academic position advertised at Professor/Associate Professor rank at a University (a peer institution to my former one) but they tell me that their selection committee shortlisted me for the "Associate Professor" appointment.

I feel very discouraged because I am much more experienced (academic + industry) and considerably older than most Associate Professors in my field. At the salary offered I doubt I will be able to break even on the cost of my education.

Two possibilities here: Either the selection committee had another candidate in mind from the beginning for the Full Professorship or they are deliberately intending to be exploitative (unemployment in my country is around 50%).

I don't know if at this age I still have the stamina and energy to work my way back to Full Professor and can only imagine how tense the office politics could get if I am perceived as a "less than" academic. I have never before seen a peer institution refuse to acknowledge status (since we are all state institutions) in my country before.

Is this an ethical practice?

Answer 1

You cannot control what others do, but you can control what you do. In your case, you can just walk away from the application and say that it is below your dignity to consider a position that you believe sells you short. In fact, reading between the lines of your post, you appear quite bitter about the slight, and one can wonder whether you would ever be happy at that institution given how you feel treated.

Of course, the alternative would be to go through the interview process but make it clear that, since you have more experience than is common for an associate professor and since you had been a full professor before, you will not consider being hired at the associate professor level. Then they will have to figure out how much they want you to come. This isn't an entirely uncommon part of the negotiations process: When a university puts you on a short list, they've decided that you would probably be a good match for their institution, and they want to hire you. It's clear to everyone that they have to give something in this process, be it salary negotiations, startup money, or in your case the title they give you. It is not unreasonable for someone who had been a full prof before to ask that they be hired at the full prof level again; if that's the red line that you draw and the university is not willing to meet it, then you know what you need to do: Walk away.