Academic Rank

Cost: 2/level
Tenured staff of a scholarly institution. Only reaches 2+ points/level and functions like a Patron if that organization regularly funds research, travel, etc.

True chains of command don't really exist at a university (in the same way they do for other types of Rank). There are really at best a few Ranks:

Academic Rank/3 . . . Senior university administrators.
Academic Rank/2 . . . Senior faculty administrators, junior university administrators.
Academic Rank/1 . . . Senior department administrators, junior faculty administrators.
Academic Rank/0 . . . All other teachers and researchers, from lecturers to full professors.

Separate from all this is the issue of Tenure [5], which any of the above can have, but which has nothing to do with Rank per se. This is what differentiates a full prof from from a fresh-faced reader. There's also the matter of titled chairs, which amount to a very limited Reputation and a stipend. Neither has anything to do with Rank. There are hired-gun presidents and chancellors who have an MBA, no teaching or research experience, and no tenure, brought in from government or business to run things. There are ancient, tenured Great Old Ones who've never held any kind of admin post, ever, as they see this as tantamount to ending their teaching and/or research career. And while a very senior prof with tenure and a high-profile chair may end up with more points in social traits than the university president, the president can assuredly get rid of him.

Note - the idea that students at any level have Rank is laughable! There are PhD candidates who lord their position over undergraduates, but rare is the institution that will back up such claims if push comes to shove. If the family lawyer of a wealthy undergrad threatens to sue a TA who was working on his PhD, the department will typically take the lawyer's side!

However, it's probably true that a PhD from a respected institution, and just about any MD, is good for Status 1.

Source: https://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=1302978&postcount=7
GURPS 4th - Social Engineering - Pulling Rank.pdf
See Rank.