Academic Tenure
Qualifying for Tenure
Tenure is only possible for full-time faculty, meaning that adjunct professors are exempt on account of their part-time, contract status. Additionally, being hired as a full-time professor does not automatically mean that someone is available for future tenure. Professors must specifically considered for or hired into a “tenure-track” position. There are specific procedures at each higher education institute for how they grant tenure.Firstly, most tenure-track faculty positions in four-year colleges and universities require a doctorate in the discipline that a person will be teaching in. When it comes to creative writing, an MFA acts in a similar capacity as a doctorate in this case because it is the highest degree possible in the field (creative writing doctorates are not yet common enough to be considered as the highest degree).
Getting on the tenure track requires working your way up the ranks, typically starting as an assistant professor. Typically, a tenure-track professor works five or six years in a probationary period before that professor is up for the appointment. After those years, the educator goes through a tenure review; if successful, they are promoted to associate professor, which usually comes with a salary bump. Aside from instructing students, they will work on research projects and publish their findings in scholarly journals. Then, five to seven years later, the educator again goes through the review process (which can take months), and, if all goes well, are promoted to professor.
A tenure review evaluates three areas: research excellence, teaching, and administrative service, all of which are based on your tenure dossier. Different institutions place varying weight on each aspect of evaluation. At some schools, scholarship and ability to publish research will be a critical factor in achieving tenure, while at others, one’s teaching ability may be considered the most important.
Contributing to the academic community is also considered. Actions that fall under this section include things like serving one of the many faculty committees, helping to organizing a conference, running a community-based program, or advising a student organization.
Tenure Dossier
A variety of documents will be included in a tenure dossier. It is not simply a record of your teaching, but a showcase of all the various things you have done and experienced which make you valuable enough for the university or college to invest 30-40 years of funding into you. While the exact documentation required will be decided on by the university administration at which you are teaching, there are some generalities when it comes to what is included.- Teaching record / portfolio
- CV (usually in a specific format)
- List of publications
- Sometimes copies of those papers
- Tenure statement
- List of awards and grants
- Record of service
- External reviews / letters of recommendation
Tenure Statement
A tenure statement, sometimes known as a tenure narrative or personal statement, is a statement that describes your career: what you have done in the areas of teaching, research, and service. The statement should be a strong and persuasive case for excellence in teaching and publishing, and make clear your valuable service contributions. Typically, there are five sections.- Introduction / Executive Summary
- State your career goals, highlight your major contributions to date, and present a clear vision of where you're heading in the near future.
- Research and Publication/Professional Activity
- When it comes to publications, things published while working at the institution at which one is attempting to gain tenure, will often be given more weight than to things published prior to hiring. Though, all publications will be considered and should be included in the tenure packet as a whole.
- Teaching
- Describe your philosophy regarding the teaching and training the next generation of writers. What have the years of teaching taught you? How have you grown as a professor? How have you helped students grow?
- Service
- Summarizes your service contributions to the department, college and/or university, and profession. Describe how your service contributions support the mission of your department and of your institution.
- Appendix
- Include documents that support and highlight what you write in your tenure statement, such as copies of important publications, examples of teaching materials, awards, and articles or reviews about your work.
What Happens Next?
Your tenure dossier will be reviewed by a departmental tenure committee and external reviewers, as well as a host of other people, from the dean of the faculty to the provost (who makes the ultimate decision). If all goes well, you will be notified of your tenure being granted and will need to plan a party to celebrate.For an example of the materials included in a tenure dossier, check out the website of Dr. Andrew Rumback who has made his own tenure materials public in order to act as an example for future professors seeking tenure. While not in the Humanities field, his example is still a good place to start for someone who does not know where to begin when it comes to starting a tenure dossier.
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