Talk:Reader (academic rank)
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[edit] Role of Readers
In some Universities (including mine), Reader was the title given to the administrative head of a Department whose nominal Professor was an absentee. Two of our science Departments had major SERC funding, in return for which their chairs were awarded to government appointees. The "Professors" spent most of their time on committees and at conferences (it was said they needed their University appointments to raise their standing in international academic circles, where someone no more senior than a lecturer with tenure might have the title "Professor"). So those Departments were run by a "Reader", who was in effect the Professor in all but name; this is analogous to the University itself being run by a Vice-Chancellor, while the Chancellor is just a celeb figurehead. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Swiveler (talk • contribs) 05:54, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Comparison to "Docent"
The recent changes by GGV are insufficiently documented, without any citation. The statement that "Docent is Professor extraordinarius" and I guess therefore "like" a reader an utter generalisation. This might well be the case that in Norway all "Docents" became professors some twenty years ago, it seems inadequate to make such generalisation. The German case shows exactly the opposite, where eg professor is the opposite end on the scale of seniority from "Dozent". Likewise, in many other places the term is merely used generically to denote right to teach.
Please, do not change anything any more on this issue before discussing it here. Many thanks!
