MOVING TO FRONT--PUBLISHED ORIGINALLY ON SEPTEMBER 16
This is a summary of changes at the tenured (or almost tenured) ranks at the top 50 PhD programs in the 2017 Philosophical Gourmet Report; more precisely, these are changes that were not reflected in the faculty lists evaluators saw for the 2017 PGR surveys (some moves that weren't official until 2018 were reflected in the faculty lists). (Please e-mail me any corrections or additions, thanks.)
New York University (#1 in 2017 PGR): Lost Jim Pryor (epistemology) to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Rutgers University, New Brunswick (#2 in 2017 PGR): hired Karen Bennett (metaphysics) from Cornell, Derrick Darby (social & political philosophy, philosophy of race) from Michigan, Nir Eyal (bioethics) from the Harvard School of Public Health, and Brian Leftow (philosophy of religion, medieval philosophy) from Oxford University. Rutgers was already tops in metaphysics, and will now be close to tops in philosophy of religion as well and a good choice for philosophy of race and bioethics (with Frances Kamm, in addition to Eyal). Because these appointments mostly play to strengths, they probably will not do much to close the gap with #1 NYU, which is still broader in its coverage of philosophy, especially history of ancient and modern philosophy, including the post-Kantian Continental traditions--but these appointments likely will increase the gap between Rutgers and the others in the top five (but see Pittsburgh).
Princeton University (#3 in 2017 PGR): hired Andrew Chignell (Kant, philosophy of religion) (primary appointments in Religion and Center for Human Values) from the University of Pennsylvania; will definitely boost Princeton's specialty ranking in Kant and maybe also philosophy of religion. Also added junior lateral Una Stojnic (philosophy of language, philosophical logic) from Columbia University.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (#4 in 2017 PGR): lost Derrick Darby (social & political philosophy, philosophy of race) to Rutgers, Maria Lasonen-Aarnio (epistemology) to Helsinki and advanced Assistant Professor Meena Krishnamurthy (political philosophy) to Queen's University in Canada. Will probably still remain in the top five despite these losses.
University of Pittsburgh (#4 in 2017 PGR): hired Ann Cudd (political philosophy, philosophy of economics, decision theory) as Provost from Boston University; Nandi Theunissen (ethics, metaethics) from Johns Hopkins University; and David Wallace (philosophy of physics) from the University of Southern California. Pitt lost Michael Caie (philosophical logic, philosophy of language, formal epistemology) and (untenured) Jessica Gelber (ancient Greek and Roman philosophy) to the University of Toronto. Pitt will move into the very top ranks for philosophy of physics (along with Michigan and Oxford) and should remain squarely in the U.S. top five.
Yale University (#6 in 2017 PGR): hired L.A. (Laurie) Paul (metaphysics, philosophy of cognitive science, formal epistemology) from North Carolina; lost advanced junior Elizabeth Miller (metaphysics, philosophy of science) to Brown University. May crack the overal "top 5" again.
University of Southern California (#7 in 2017 PGR): Lost Stephen Finlay (metaethics) and John Hawthorne (metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language) to the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne (although Finlay will continue teaching at USC for roughly half a semester each year, while Hawthorne will continue teaching at USC for a semester each year--both for at least the next two years) and David Wallace (philosophy of physics) to the University of Pittsburgh. Gary Watson (ethics, philosophy of action) also took emeritus status. USC will likely drop out of the top ten due to these significant losses, although they will surely remain on the cusp.
Columbia University (#9 in 2017 PGR): hired Jenann Ismael (philosophy of science and physics, metaphysics, philosophy of mind) from the University of Arizona; Philip Kitcher's phased retirement (noted in the 2017 surveys) ends in 2020. Cognate faculty member Joseph Raz (philosophy of law, political philosophy) retired in fall 2019. Should remain in the U.S. "top ten."
Harvard University (#9 in 2017 PGR): lost Russell Jones (untenured Associate Professor) to his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, Norman and Frances Kamm (ethics, applied ethics) to Rutgers (above); added advanced junior lateral Samantha Matherne (Kant, 19th- and 20th-century Continental philosophy, aesthetics) from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
University of California, Berkeley (#9 in 2017 PGR): hired Andreja Novakovic (19th-century German philosophy) from the University of California, Riverside.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (#14 in 2017 PGR): lost L.A. (Laurie) Paul (metaphysics, philosophy of cognitive science, formal epistemology) to Yale; Thomas E. Hill, Jr. (ethics, Kant), who had been on phased retirement, has now officially retired. Hired Tom Dougherty (ethics, political philosophy) from Cambridge University; James Pryor (epistemology) from New York University, Jennifer Morton (philosophy of action) from the City University of New York, and Sarah Stroud (ethics) from McGill University, who will also direct the Parr Center for Ethics. UNC should remain squarely in the top 15.
University of Arizona (#16 in 2017 PGR): lost Jenann Ismael (above) to Columbia, and Shaun Nichols (moral psychology, philosophy of mind and cognitive science) to Cornell University. Allen Buchanan (political philosophy) retired at Duke and has taken up a quarter-time appointment at Arizona. Arizona will surely remain in the top 20 and will remain outstanding in political philosophy in particular.
University of Notre Dame (#17 in 2017 PGR): hired Kris McDaniel (metaphysics) from Syracuse University. This will solidify Notre Dame's excellence in metaphysics and may boost Notre Dame to the cusp of the top 15.
Brown University (#18 in 2017 PGR): hired advanced junior Elizabeth Miller (metaphysics, philosophy of science) from Yale University (into a tenure-track position).
University of Texas, Austin (#18 in 2017 PGR): hired Julia Driver (ethics) and Roy Sorensen (philosophy of language and logic, metaphysics & epistemology) from Washington University, St. Louis. Part-time faculty member Larry Laudan--an eminent philosopher of science who over the last 15 years has emerged as a penetrating writer on the epistemology of the rules of evidence and criminal procedure--resigned from his position in both philosophy and law. Texas is likely to be on the cusp of the top 15.
University of California, San Diego (#20 in 2017 PGR): lost Paolo Santorio (philosophy of language and mind, philosophical logic) to the University of Maryland, College Park.
Washington University, St. Louis (#21 in 2017 PGR): lost Julia Driver and Roy Sorensen (above) to Texas, and John Doris (metaethics, moral psychology) to Cornell (below). Wash U will certainly drop out of the top 25, and maybe even the top 30.
University of Wisconsin, Madison (#21 in 2017 PGR): lost Sarah Paul (philosophy of action) to New York University-Abu Dhabi; added two advanced junior laterals, Hayley Clatterbuck (philosophy of science and biology) from Rochester and Bruno Whittle (logic) from Texas Tech.
Cornell University (#25 in 2017 PGR): lost Karen Bennett (metaphysics) to Rutgers; added Shaun Nichols (above) from Arizona, Karolina Hubner (early modern) from University of Toronto, and Carlotta Pavese (philosophy of mind and language) from Duke University. In addition, John Doris (moral psychology, metaethics) from Washington University, St. Louis joined the Business School faculty, with a cross-appointment in philosophy. Cornell should probably crack the top 20 again.
Duke University (#25 in 2017 PGR): lost Carlotta Pavese (philosophy of mind and language) to Cornell (above). Allen Buchanan (political philosophy) took emeritus status. Michael Ferejohn (ancient philospohy) and Owen Flanagan (ethics, moral psychology, philosophy of mind and cognitive science) both began three year phased retirements in 2019-20. Duke will slip out of the top 25 without some senior hires, although I expect they will try to make some..
University of Pennsylvania (#27 in 2017 PGR): lost Andrew Chignell to Princeton, which will affect its Kant rating, though Gary Hatfield, another major Kant scholar, is still available as a supervisor there. They retained against lateral offers two recently tenured faculty, Errol Lord (ethics, epistemology) and Quayshawn Spencer (philosophy of biology, philosophy of race).
Indiana University, Bloomington (#28 in 2017 PGR): Timothy O'Connor (metaphysics, philosophy of action, philosophy of religion) returned after a year at Baylor University; Mark Kaplan (epistemology) and Joan Weiner (history of analytic) both retired at the end of 2017-18.
Ohio State University (#28 in 2017 PGR): Lost Julia Jorati (early modern philosophy) to the University of Massachussetts, Amherst.
University of Massachussetts, Amherst (#28 in 2017 PGR): hired Jorati (above) from Ohio State.
Northwestern University (#32 in 2017 PGR): lost Fabrizio Cariani (philosophy of language, philosophical logic, epistemology) to the University of Maryland, College Park. Richard Kraut (ancient philosophy, ethics) is on phased retirement. May slip out of the top 35 unless there are new hires this year.
University of California, Riverside (#32 in 2017 PGR): lost Andreja Novakovic (19th-century German philosophy) to Berkeley; added advanced junior lateral Kim Frost (philosophy of mind and action) from Syracuse University.
Georgetown University (#35 in 2017 PGR): hired John Greco (epistemology) from Saint Louis University. This should keep Georgetown squarely in the top 35.
Syracuse University (#35 in 2017 PGR): hired Luvell Anderson (philosophy of race, philosophy of language, aesthetics) from the University of Memphis, which will probably get Syracuse ranked for philosophy of race in the next PGR; lost advanced junior Kim Frost (philosophy of mind and action) to UC Riverside, and lost Kris McDaniel (metaphysics) to Notre Dame, which may cost Syracuse its overall rank in the top 35.
University of Miami (#35 in 2017 PGR ): hired Anjan Chakravartty (philosophy of science) from the University of Notre Dame, as well as advanced junior laterals Helen Yetter Chappell and Richard Yetter Chappell from the University of York; this should push Miami back to the cusp of the top 30.
Johns Hopkins University (#40 in 2017 PGR): hired Hanna Pickard (philosophy of psychology, moral psychology, medical ethics) and Ian Phillips (philosophy of mind & psychology), both from the University of Birmingham. This should push Hopkins at least back into the top 35.
University of Maryland, College Park (#40 in 2017 PGR): hired Fabrizio Cariani (philosophy of language, philosophical logic, epistemology) from Northwestern University and Paolo Santorio (philosophy of language and mind, philosophical logic) from the University of California, San Diego. This should push Maryland back to the top 35 and maybe to the cusp of the top 30.
University of California, Davis (#42 in 2017 PGR): Senior faculty David Copp (ethics and metaethics) and Marina Oshana (ethics) both took emeritus status. The department will probably remain in the top 50 nonetheless.
Florida State University (#44 in 2017 PGR): hired Edward Hinchman (epistemology, moral psychology, philosophy of mind and action) and Andrea Westlund (feminist philosophy, ethics, moral psychology) from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; this may push FSU to the cusp of the top 40.
Saint Louis University (#49 in 2017 PGR): hired Helen De Cruz (philosophy of religion, philosophy of cognitive science, experimental philosophy) from Oxford Brookes University; lost John Greco (epistemology) to Georgetown University.
University of Rochester (#49 in 2017 PGR): hired Rose Terlazzo (moral & political philosophy) from Kansas State University.
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