Seite - 122 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

122 ♦  Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 seeking habilitation were seldom unknown at the university; in most cases they were already active within its walls as assistants or demonstrators.142 It was also quite common for students (including, although to a lesser ex- tent, Privatdozenten) to move with their teachers to another university. Such moves could transgress both state and cultural boundaries.143 In Galicia and Bohemia, the search for assistants was in many cases a search for a successor; the older professors would support their assistants in gaining scholarships and developing the necessary contacts.144 The primary selec- tion was thus made when choosing and promoting graduate students.145 At the same time, especially at medical faculties, many Privatdozenten moved after graduation, predominantly from the capital city to smaller universities, often in positions as assistants. But contacts with the faculty were clearly also important. Except in one case, all rejected habilitations in the empire were by scholars who were not working as assistants.146 And even in that case a second try was successful.147 At the same time, professionalization lessened the chances of entering academia for scholars who were outsiders. After the 1850s, transitions from a long-term position in a profession not tied to a university (including as a gymnasium teacher) to a university position were rare; scholarly abil- ity demonstrated in specialized publications gained weight over teaching abilities. By 1884 teachers who had not previously held university posi- tions could not be directly appointed as full professors but only as associate professors.148 The professionalization of academia can also be seen in the fact that ha- bilitation took place rather swiftly after graduation, that is, after 5.8 years (at an average age of thirty) in philosophical faculties and after 8.7 years (at an average age of thirty-three) in medical faculties. Scholars who habilitated by the average age were promoted two and a half years sooner in both faculties. Those older than the average took three years longer to be pro- moted; however, for those who habilitated around the ages of thirty-five and thirty-eight, respectively, the period between habilitation and promo- tion was considerably longer, distorting the statistics. Around 10 percent of habilitations were concluded after the age of forty, substantially longer after these scholars’ graduation, raising the question of what motivated older scholars to habilitate. Although some older Privatdozenten succeeded in gaining professorships, most remained in the role of Privatdozent, and it is rather improbable that scholars habilitating at an older age aimed to have an academic career.149