next »

[dr_mk]

Ouch, dr_mk. That is anticlimactic, especially after the angst you undoubtedly felt thinking you had not been approved.

Luckily I'd heard from a member of the College-level committee that it had been a unanimous vote for tenure, so it wasn't too bad ... just really confusing and a bit stressful.

[hyperbole]

It came as a phone call on the day that every assistant prof knows to be the day that this particular T&P committee meets during the spring term. I was sloppy drunk and anxiously depressed, as I had been for every early evening on this particular day for that entire term. The call came in, I answered it, it was my provost, I was told that I received tenure, and I instantly knew that I would never want to drink this much again.

I write this all m ore drunk now than I was upon receiving that call,
hyperbolically yourse,
--H

[mich7578]

Its been a week since graduation week, the typical time folks at my U "hear" about tenure. Trying to cope, deal, stay busy, drink, playing music, exercise, but am getting pissed off! No one knows the method of notification- phone, email, letter home or office- nor why the delay...such mystery....
10 tense days,
Handbook states, "typically faculty are notified before June 1"
any suggestions? thinking of taking a road trip, head to the mountains, but would probably be too tense to do this.
"maybe  it will be in tomorrow's mail" ( the mantra)
"we are out of tonic!" (the other mantra)

[hyperbole]

You could smell the roses, put eggs in a different basket, find faster fish in your sea, put your apple cart somewhere else in proximity to that dray, or just remain cool, calm, and collectible, particularly to administration. All of this beats alcoholism, neurosis, and (believe it or not) booking a one-way ticket on the psycho train to Can't-Take-It Island.

So, yeah, go on your wilderness trek and try to put it out of your mind. I'm sure you'll be fine.

[babbinacara]

As a 10/12 (?) year old, I took the tenure notification phone-call for my mother from her Chair. She had gone off to hide somewhere out of the house, and I was closest to the phone. Like me, my mother can tend to run her mouth when she shouldn't, so it was potentially a rather close thing. I can't remember the numbers Y and N (which her Chair freely told me, though not with names attached), but it was good news. I told my father, and let him tell her when she eventually reappeared.

My own notification of 'appointment to retiring age' (UK system) came via my Chair, who stuck his head in the door of my office to tell me I'd been approved. Honestly, I had no idea they were meeting that day, so it took a half-minute to figure out what he was talking about. By then, he was gone.

[brixton]

We had a crisis at our college, and I was asked to step in as Dean at the beginning of my tenure year.  I had just submitted my dossier a week before, but didn't have tenure yet.  When the President called to ask if I'd take the position, I asked: Does this mean I get tenure?  If I say no, will I get denied...? 

[dismal_sci]

I was at home waiting for the call from the head of the departmental P &T committee.  The meeting was scheduled for late afternoon on a Friday.

When I answered the phone, my colleague said "Welcome to the department."   I guess I should have been happy, but I had already worked in the department there for 5 or 6 years.  But I remember being happy and relieved to get tenure in that dysfunctional place. 

I've been tenured two more times since then, and each time I received a phone call from the relevant Dean.

[usukprof]

I was at a conference and got a skype text from one of my PhD students in another row who was looking over at another one of my students who saw the congratulations notice on my department's Facebook page.  Turns out the paper letter had been in my mailbox in the department office for some days.

[windowoffice]

I got a letter in campus mail to inform me that the wise ones on the Board of Regents granted me tenure.  No one came from the President's office to throw confetti on me or serve me cake.

Our department does have a party at the beginning of the fall semester for anyone tenured and/or promoted in the previous academic year.

[vkw10]

April 2 is deadline for president to notify T&P candidates of final decision, but I doubt it will surpass the events of last Friday.

I walked over to provost's office about 9 a.m. to sign letter acknowledging receipt of provost's recommendation, so tenure file can be passed to president. Provost's admin assistant said "Congratulations! Hold the afternoon of ---- open; you'll be getting a formal invitation to T&P reception along with the president's letter on April 2." Shortly before lunch, I received an appointment request for meeting with dean, in my office, for morning of April 2. Over lunch, the department chair told me it's traditional for tenured faculty to take newly tenured out to lunch the day president's letter arrives, so let her know where I want to go so she can reserve table for April 2. At faculty meeting that afternoon, chair of dept T&P committee announced that nominations for 2012-13 T&P committee would open April 2, with vote on April 6.

[karmann]

I had a meeting with the provost a couple of weeks ago where I was told the president would be recommending me to the trustees for tenure.  The trustees voted last night on a slate of everyone the president had recommended, and since I couldn't be at the meeting (I was teaching) I'm just assuming they approved.  I don't think the trustees have ever overridden the president on a tenure decision before, and I doubt I'm controversial enough to be the first.  Also, I had a friend at the meeting and she would have called if I didn't get tenure, but still, talk about anticlimactic. 

[libprof]

I was told by my chair who assured me I had been granted tenure not necessarily because I deserved it but because they didn't want to have to spend the time or money to replace me. When I called my sister and  told her this and how anticlimactic it all seemed, she assured me I did deserve it and it was a big deal. I felt a little better after our talk but but broke into a huge grin when I received a tiara in the mail later that week. It was awesome! I wore it.

[bevo98]

I had a meeting with the provost a couple of weeks ago where I was told the president would be recommending me to the trustees for tenure.  The trustees voted last night on a slate of everyone the president had recommended, and since I couldn't be at the meeting (I was teaching) I'm just assuming they approved.  I don't think the trustees have ever overridden the president on a tenure decision before, and I doubt I'm controversial enough to be the first.  Also, I had a friend at the meeting and she would have called if I didn't get tenure, but still, talk about anticlimactic. 

This is the common chain.  Yes, it is anti-climatic, just like finishing the dissertation, getting the job and so on.  I think we learn to celebrate the baby steps instead.  Congrats!

[litdawg]

I was told by my chair who assured me I had been granted tenure not necessarily because I deserved it but because they didn't want to have to spend the time or money to replace me. When I called my sister and  told her this and how anticlimactic it all seemed, she assured me I did deserve it and it was a big deal. I felt a little better after our talk but but broke into a huge grin when I received a tiara in the mail later that week. It was awesome! I wore it.

Your chair is a loser; your sister is awesome. Thanks for this story!

[usukprof]

+1

That was a terrible thing to say, even in fun.  Evidently the chair has forgotten the stress of getting tenure.