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[lameusername]

Would you accept a new job at a decent R1 university if you had to give up tenure? I'm freshly tenured at a SLAC, 3-3 load, lots of committee work, very conservative, in a town that has a Kroger, a Walmart, and not a single coffee shop. The salary is good and the dept. pleasant to work in. The location sucks.

Would you move "down" to a TT job in a better location, with a 2-2 load?

[totoro]

Yes.

[ucprof]

I know someone who did this sort of thing.  Moved from much lower ranked RN to R1 and gave up tenure.  The person now has tenure at the R1 and lives in a much better area.

[oatmeal]

Yes. I did this and I know others that have done so. It is a big step, but sometimes not as difficult as one might think. Make sure you can get some credit for publications and perhaps a shortened tenure clock (if you want it) and that you really can meet the research levels for tenure. This means being honest with yourself. Good luck.

[busyslinky]

I did this, but it was more of a lateral move, but a "better" location.

[writingprof]

Yes. I did this and I know others that have done so. It is a big step, but sometimes not as difficult as one might think. Make sure you can get some credit for publications and perhaps a shortened tenure clock (if you want it) and that you really can meet the research levels for tenure. This means being honest with yourself. Good luck.

+1

Though I'll add that the search committee must think you've got the chops to be tenured at the new location or they wouldn't have offered you the job.  Be honest, yes, but be optimistic, too.

[lameusername]

It's good to know I'm not the only person out there willing to throw out hard-earned tenure for a potentially better gig. Yes, I'd definitely insist that they count my already published book toward tenure. Any other considerations? I wonder if financially this wil make sense long-term--moving from a private SLAC with lots of $$$ for conferences and research to a public R1 in the grip of recession spending cuts.

[leobloom]

Just passing along a concept I learned from user mleok: make sure you have career tenure, not just departmental tenure, before you even attempt to make the jump.

[lameusername]

I'm a little clueless. I think I can guess the difference between career tenure and dept tenure, but do tell!

[systeme_d_]

Perhaps "career tenure" is being used here to mean "would be considered qualified for tenure in the kind of place to which one would like to move."  I'll let Leobloom clarify, though.

I'm just posting to note that I just made a move from a tenured position to a TT position.  My reason for leaving?

1) Old job = bad location, in a state institution with financial troubles and poor leadership

2) New job = fabulous location, in a (mostly) well-run private institution with no significant financial troubles.

[oldfullprof]

Kroger can be a real bad sign.

[helpful]

Don't college kids at SLACs go to cafes? That seems like an untapped market if there are no cafes in your town, OP. Most of the areas around universities I know of are full of cafes with students studying, using wi-fi, etc.

[lameusername]

They go to nearby towns for coffee and entertainment. :(

My move would be from a private and financially stable SLAC to a flagship state university (no idea about finances, but the state itself, like most others nowadays, is pretty poor).

The town I live in now is really awful. We have to drive more than an hour to a nearby city to do anything exciting, like watch a good movie, eat at a good restaurant, or shop. Schools are not so great, either, and we have a small child. The only plus, I guess, is that property is cheap, and you can get a really great bargain on nice, spacious houses.

I'd also appreciate more time for research. Money for research here is good, but I feel like I have to explain why I don't do pedagogy each time I prepare a conference presentation or publish an article (or a book) in my field. Everything has to be tied to teaching. Don't get me wrong: I love teaching, and I'm good at it, but I need space to breathe sometimes and stop apologizing for doing research that may not be directly related to the classroom.

[leobloom]

Perhaps "career tenure" is being used here to mean "would be considered qualified for tenure in the kind of place to which one would like to move."  I'll let Leobloom clarify, though.

That's more or less what I had in mind.
I believe I found the relevant post from the past: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,84393.msg2036040.html#msg2036040

[lameusername]

Thanks! That's helpful. If the minimum professional tenure is book + 6, I'm 2 or 3 articles away from it (if I discount the really old stuff I have on my cv).