A tenure letter is a letter of external recommendation submitted to a tenure committee in support of a faculty member’s application for permanent employment. Depending on the information sought the tenure committee, the letter can come from a subordinate, colleague, or superior, but it is most often requested from leaders in the candidate’s field of study who are asked to comment on the candidate’s potential to contribute to the field’s knowledge base.
Tenure is a system of employment that provides permanent employment contracts to certain faculty members at colleges and universities. The system is designed to protect academic freedom on the assumption that faculty who are not in danger of losing their jobs will be free to teach and publish all viewpoints, not just the most popular. Tenure is not granted to all faculty members. Only those hired into tenure-track positions, and only after a period of probation, will be considered. A tenure committee reviews the tenure-track faculty member’s candidacy and makes a recommendation on whether or not to offer a permanent contract after the required probationary period has passed.
Soliciting tenure letters is a part of the tenure committee’s review process. The committee must first decide what kind of criteria it wants to support. The committee might be looking for information on the candidate’s research potential, collegiality, or teaching ability, for example. The appropriate persons to submit a tenure letter in the candidate’s favor will be determined the type of substantiation required. A former student or employer could be asked for a tenure letter just as easily.
A tenure committee is usually interested in a candidate’s ability to contribute to the field’s research base. In this case, tenure letters would be sought from prominent faculty in the field, whom the candidate should know from years of experience in the field. Any tenure letter should include a glowing assessment of the candidate’s abilities.
Typically, a tenure candidate is asked to provide a list of potential recommenders who they believe would write a strong tenure letter. The tenure committee chair would then contact the people on the list directly, or the candidate would have to contact the recommenders himself. The content of a candidate’s tenure letter can make or break their bid for permanent employment in either case.