Tenure review is a procedure for determining whether or not a professor should be granted tenure. Tenure is a type of employment status that restricts when and how someone can be fired. It is extremely difficult to remove a faculty member from a teaching position once tenure has been granted. A tenure system is used colleges and universities for a variety of reasons. One of the most important is the desire to safeguard academic freedom ensuring that faculty members cannot be fired for expressing controversial or unpopular views.
When someone is hired to join the faculty of a college or university, he or she may be placed in a tenure track position, which means that they will be eligible for tenure in the future. The faculty member progresses through a series of steps, with periodic performance-based promotions and, eventually, a tenure review. The timing of such reviews is determined the institution’s policies.
A tenure review considers a number of aspects of performance. Students’ and other faculty members’ feedback is considered, as well as the faculty member’s publishing credits and other achievements. The department in which the faculty member works accepts reports. The college may also take into account factors such as the professor’s reputation and area of expertise. The procedure is designed to be thorough and balanced in order to produce a complete picture of the tenure prospects.
A tenure review committee compiles all of this data into a report, discusses it, and votes on it. If a professor is denied tenure, he or she may be considered again at a later date. The committee’s denial indicates that they thought the professor lacked in some way. Before a tenure application can be approved, this deficiency must be addressed. The professor will be offered a tenured position if the tenure application is approved. Post-tenure review is a process used some colleges and universities to continue evaluating faculty members who have been appointed to tenured positions.
Professors with tenure enjoy a high level of job security. The practice of tenure has been heavily criticized in some areas. Critics argue that tenure removes incentives for excellence because professors know they won’t be fired if they don’t publish, don’t meet student needs, or teach poorly. Long-term contracts, which provide job security but do not guarantee permanent employment, are examples of alternatives to tenure.