One of the most daunting times in a professor’s life occurs when a midtenure review or even a tenure application indicates that a new job, at another institution, is in order. When these faculty members start investigating a fresh start, their applications turn up with those of folks who are just starting their job search—and the difference is stark. These persons have doctorates in hand, several years of teaching experience, and, sometimes, publications in print rather than under consideration. During the search committee’s deliberations, it is common for a discussion of the possible tenure situation to come up; why else would this person be back on the market after three or more years of apparently productive service to an institution?
I know of many cases where the fresh start worked out extremely well, with the new faculty member excelling and, essentially, getting a running start on a new tenure clock. One of these persons (now a tenured full professor) once told me that the best thing that had happened to him was his tenure denial at a previous institution; it had jolted him into a focus on remediating his weaknesses, a step that had resulted in a successful career. Indeed, I know of some search committees that actually give preference to these folks, performing due diligence on issues that might reflect problems with collegiality, but often finding strong new colleagues in the process.
What advice would you offer those who are looking to make a fresh start after a problem with the tenure process? What advice would you offer to search committees who are considering such a candidate?
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6 Responses to A Fresh Start
crankycat - January 31, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Be frank, be honest, and don’t volunteer more information than necessary. Be thoughtful about what is different at a new institution.
debmarciano - February 3, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Ah, but the hesitation, the answers as to why one was not “deemed” worthy of tenure… How doe you hide the resentment at unfair treatment, without dissing your former employer (even when they deserve the dissing)?
gellerh - February 3, 2011 at 12:52 pm
For some of my colleagues and friends, not getting tenure was the best thing that ever happened to them. They realized that their skills (considerable) would be better applied than as a tenured professor, and found outstanding employment that was a much better fit.
arrive2__net - February 4, 2011 at 12:38 am
If a good prof is jilted on tenure it may be more about the weaknesses of the institution than of the prof, so the idea that it could be a blessing for the prof makes sense. It may be better to have another chance at a really good situation than to try to make it in an institution that really doesn’t accept you. I think the idea that sometimes being jilted can be a blessing is applicable beyond academe as well.
Bernard Schuster
Arrive2.net
Twitter.com/arrive2_net
mnogojazyk - February 4, 2011 at 9:17 am
Not everyone bounces back from failure. I know of several persons who took their own lives because not only were they deprived of a job, they were deprived of a means of survival. Everything they tried to bounce back ended in failure. Moreover, the outside world taught well that since they were over fifty, out of work longer than a few months, they were virtually obsolete and unemployable. Without a future and barely a present, they concluded they had outlived their usefulness, and they did themselves in.
oldphilprof - February 4, 2011 at 3:56 pm
To “debmarciano” and any others: Please remember that there are two sides — always — no matter how unfairly you feel you were treated. Be careful about placing blame always on the side of the institution. There are cases in which no one is to blame — it was a bad fit from the beginning. I had a wonderful colleague who really belonged at a research-oriented institution — or at least a much larger department — where personality issues were not so important. At my very small school, if you don’t fit in (no fault of your own), you really do gum up the works.