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Last Updated on: 2nd February 2024, 05:50 am
When you are in graduate school you will most likely see at least one faculty member scrambling to put together their tenure file. This file is often very similar to a promotion file, but the tenure decision can be even more important. In many cases, it can mean lifetime employment.
In this article I’ll explain what academic tenure is and talk about how to get tenure. Lastly, I’ll go over common questions and talk about the future of tenure and how it may impact your life and career.
Academic Tenure’s History
Into the early part of the 1900s, faculty members served at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees and could be fired for any reason. There were cases where a donor did not like a faculty member or that faculty member’s line of research, and the faculty member was let go, even after 20 years of teaching. Professors became afraid to publish their research if the conclusions would not be popular with their employers.
As a result, the American Association of University Professors fought hard during this time for schools to institute an academic tenure system that protected academic freedom–freedom of thought. The practice of tenure became commonplace, and the probationary period for academic tenure standardized to seven years, the current norm.
Controversy
Fast forward to present day, and you’ll see a lot of criticism about tenure–some deserved, much of it not. Of course, the tenure system is imperfect. There have been cases of tenure making it next-to-impossible to to fire bad teachers, including a grade school teacher who threw books at students and insisted they call her “Ms. God.” Others argue that academic tenure only serves to cultivate deadbeat professors.
However, these examples are few and far between. Remembering that the purpose of tenure is to protect integrity and freedom of thought, many people recognize that tenure is not only for the sake of the professors themselves, but for the sake of scientific and philosophical progress as a whole. In fact, an article in the Washington Post claims that tenure is “what made American universities the best in the world” and makes a compelling case to support it.
Today, tenure still exists, though the rate at which it is awarded has diminished and its future is uncertain. If the guarantee of tenure sounds like something worth striving for, you’re right–though it’s not without catches and complications. So how do you get tenure?
How to Get Tenure
Get on the Tenure Track
First, it’s important to note whether your position is eligible for tenure (a “tenure-track position”) and not assume that all positions are eligible. This is something that should be discussed during the hiring process, and if it wasn’t, it’s vital to check on this now. Your university should make a list of the requirements for obtaining tenure easily available so that you can work towards achieving them all by the time you apply for tenure.
Get Your Dissertation Accepted On Your Next Submission
Create Your Tenure Application
How to get tenure will depend on your specific institution’s processes and guidelines, but most follow a similar process. At most schools, applying for academic tenure means putting together a portfolio. This portfolio usually includes things like teaching evaluations, a record of your university service, copies of your publications, and recommendations from outside scholars. This can take a great deal of time to put together. The application at many schools has grown over time to fill several binders.
Survive the Review Process
Typically, after you submit your application it goes to a tenure review committee made up of tenured members of your department. Within the bylaws of every Department, School, and University are requirements for tenure. Make sure that you comply with all requirements and go above and beyond them whenever possible.
A word of caution: during your lead up to tenure, try to stay friendly with all members of your department. Every tenured person gets a vote and you will want that vote to be based on the merits of your application, rather than a personal gripe.
After your department reviews your application, it usually goes to a school committee and then on to a university level committee. At the university level, there will be people from all over the university deciding your fate. Most likely they will come from disciplines that function differently than yours. (I once sat on the university committee as a representative of the business school and had to evaluate the performance tapes of music faculty.) Just make sure that you present yourself in the best light possible relative to your discipline.
After the university level tenure committee, your application ends up on the Provost’s or President’s desk. This is usually a rubber stamp, and you are granted academic tenure. If you do not make it this far, most schools have an appeal process that you must follow if you want to stay.
Common Questions About Academic Tenure
How hard is it to get tenure?
The first thing most new professors want to know is how hard it is to get tenure. This is a difficult question to answer. The easy answer is that if you more than qualify for all of the requirements put forth by your department/college and you have not made any enemies, it should not be a problem. The hard part is that you really have to comply with all of the requirements, including the number and level of publications. Also, consider how many tenure spots are available and how many people in your department are on a “tenure track.” Some universities make more tenure track positions available than they have actual tenure positions, so professors are competing with one another, rather than merely meeting the set requirements.
How many publications do you need to get tenure?
This is a common question for those wondering how to get tenure, but the answer will depend on your institution. There are schools that provide you with a static number of publications needed for tenure. At most schools you will be given a range of publications required and specification about the level of journal in which they appear. To be safe, do your best to more than comply with the number needed–that is, publish more than the minimum and reach for high level journals.
What changes after tenure?
After you receive academic tenure, your day-to-day job will not change. You will still teach, research, and serve on committees. You will have the freedom of knowing that as long as you do your job responsibly, you should have a job. I say “should” because most schools have clauses that allow them to dismiss a tenured faculty member in certain situations.
Can I get fired after getting tenure?
The two biggest reasons that tenure can be lost are misconduct and financial troubles. If a faculty member who is tenured engages in unethical or illegal behaviors, they can be terminated. If the school has financial troubles or enrollment drops to the point where the classes you teach are not tenable, tenure may also be revoked.
The Future of Academic Tenure
Academic tenure has protected many faculty members from being dismissed based upon the whims of a donor or the agenda of an administrator. Faculty will continue to fight to keep the tenure system as it provides protections for academic freedom.
However, colleges are changing. For-profit institutions (which do not give tenure) are becoming bigger players in the market. School costs continue to rise faster than inflation, and some people are choosing to not go to college. As the landscape changes, administrators will move to keep as much flexibility in staffing and budgeting as possible. I foresee challenges to academic tenure in the very near future.
Academic Tenure: Summary
Academic tenure is a valuable protection for faculty members. It protects academic freedom and the growth of ideas. Tenure is a process for faculty members to plan for and strive to get.
While tenure is available, I encourage everyone to get it. But realize that it may go away–even getting tenure isn’t a magic bullet for job security. So, stay current in your research and make sure that you bring your best to the classroom.
As a professor for over 30 years who has been tenured twice, I now help people reach their academic career goals. If you’re interested in getting tenure, feel free take a look at my academic career coaching programs or get in touch.
