The Chronicle: Colloquy: The question

THE QUESTION

An article in the new issue of The Chronicle explores how the tenure process is changing at many colleges. Most administrators say that their institutions are offering tenure to the same proportion of faculty members as they always have. But junior professors feel that the bar has been raised and that it is much more difficult to get tenure now. Many faculty members at colleges where people received tenure 20 years ago with minimal publication records report that they now must publish extensively to have a shot at tenure. Non-tenured professors also say that they must publish more quickly -- as they sometimes face early reviews (well before the official tenure review) that may determine their professional futures. Some scholars fear that these changes are having a negative effect on students and on scholarship. Research seems to be more valued than teaching, even at colleges that have considered themselves teaching institutions. And many faculty members feel that they must focus on work that can be published quickly, which may not necessarily be the most valuable work they could do. Is the bar for getting tenure getting too high? If so, what effect is that change having on scholarship and teaching? What should colleges and departments do about those trends?

For further information, see this background article:

A Higher Bar for Earning Tenure (1/5/2001)

: 25 RESPONSES (New 3/4)

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