Tenure is virtually exclusive to higher education, and it is a fundamental part of an institution’s academic landscape and culture. Tenure is a guarantee of a career long job, and is deeply rooted into the American academy. It is vital to the concept of “academic freedom” which, at the bare minimum, allows faculty freedom in research, instruction, and scholarly activities. Unfortunately, there is a continuous trend in higher education institutions in regards to the decrease in tenured faculty over the past few decades. “The number of full-time tenured and tenure track faculty members declined from approximately one-third of the instructional staff in 1997 to just over one-quarter in 2007” (AFT Higher Education, 2009). The intent of this paper is to examine tenure within higher education, and the impact associated with this continued trend.
Tenure allows faculty academic freedom because it is an employment guarantee, and this freedom is an important element of an institution’s overall culture. Academic freedom allows faculty flexibility to develop their curriculum with independence, it allows faculty to discuss controversial subjects, and it allows faculty the liberty to conduct research and publish on inappropriate topics without fearing the repercussions. In sum, tenure provides faculty autonomy by providing protection to faulty with the intention that they are free to voice their opinions in the various aspects of their job responsibilities.
Tenure is an important component of the collegial culture within higher education institutions. The collegial culture values faculty research, scholarship, and their contributions within the institution. Tenure facilitates the idea of shared governance where faculty can speak freely about the institution’s leadership. As tenure decreases the collegial culture will continue to concede to the managerial culture in the academy. The managerial culture is focused on efficiency and competency with a goal to improve the organization with minimal direction from faculty. The growth of this culture invites the possibility of the faculty’s voice not being heard; therefore, faculty could lose the notion of shared governance, and the institutional managers may no longer value them.
This decrease in tenured faculty means that more of the teaching responsibilities will fall on part-time faculty and there are serious consequences with this trend. Part-time faculty members lack job security, and are less likely to take an active role in the governance of the institution. Additionally, these part-time faculty members are normally transient and have to teach at several different institutions; therefore, it creates a challenge for students who need to meet with them in person. Lastly, they may not have the same competency level as tenured professors, and there is no continuity in regards to relationship building between faculty and students. “A couple of dozen studies over the last decade have shown that as the proportion of professors off the tenure track rises, the proportion of students who return to college the following year and eventually graduate declines” (Wilson, 2010). Managers will argue that there is a cost-savings to employee non-tenure faculty; however, students need faculty with a vested interest in the institution, which is usually lacking in visiting professors.
The criticisms of tenure portray the ideas that it helps promote the egotistic attitudes of professors who are selfish, and that it supports their lack of commitment to teaching. Critics believe that once a professor achieves full tenure status that they are no longer held accountable for their work, and there is no incentive to publish or teach effectively because their jobs are not at stake. There are solutions to combat these negative qualities that come from tenure. One solution is to offer tenure in a multi-year cycle, and have reviews at the end of the cycle that focus on quality and not quantity. In addition, institutions can begin to offer tenure or tenure earning status to part-time faculty by offering them part tenure appointments, or they could increase them to full-time tenure faculty. In general, individuals need to be cognizant of the fact that tenure is an employment perk, and it is a security in exchange for a sacrifice of higher wages.
Tenure is special to higher education, and institutional leaders need to realize how vital it is to the academy and the need to make it a priority. The collegial culture promotes freedom and faculty could lose their academic freedom in regards to; instruction, research, and scholarship if this declining trend continues. Faculty need the freedom to speak liberally, and they need to participate in the governance of the institution. There is a cost savings for institutions to employee part-time faculty over tenured faculty, but is this savings worth impacting the quality of education students are receiving? Institutions need to be mindful of the impact of decreasing tenure; otherwise, they are risking their academic culture, the quality of education, and their reputation.
References
Tenure allows faculty academic freedom because it is an employment guarantee, and this freedom is an important element of an institution’s overall culture. Academic freedom allows faculty flexibility to develop their curriculum with independence, it allows faculty to discuss controversial subjects, and it allows faculty the liberty to conduct research and publish on inappropriate topics without fearing the repercussions. In sum, tenure provides faculty autonomy by providing protection to faulty with the intention that they are free to voice their opinions in the various aspects of their job responsibilities.
Tenure is an important component of the collegial culture within higher education institutions. The collegial culture values faculty research, scholarship, and their contributions within the institution. Tenure facilitates the idea of shared governance where faculty can speak freely about the institution’s leadership. As tenure decreases the collegial culture will continue to concede to the managerial culture in the academy. The managerial culture is focused on efficiency and competency with a goal to improve the organization with minimal direction from faculty. The growth of this culture invites the possibility of the faculty’s voice not being heard; therefore, faculty could lose the notion of shared governance, and the institutional managers may no longer value them.
This decrease in tenured faculty means that more of the teaching responsibilities will fall on part-time faculty and there are serious consequences with this trend. Part-time faculty members lack job security, and are less likely to take an active role in the governance of the institution. Additionally, these part-time faculty members are normally transient and have to teach at several different institutions; therefore, it creates a challenge for students who need to meet with them in person. Lastly, they may not have the same competency level as tenured professors, and there is no continuity in regards to relationship building between faculty and students. “A couple of dozen studies over the last decade have shown that as the proportion of professors off the tenure track rises, the proportion of students who return to college the following year and eventually graduate declines” (Wilson, 2010). Managers will argue that there is a cost-savings to employee non-tenure faculty; however, students need faculty with a vested interest in the institution, which is usually lacking in visiting professors.
The criticisms of tenure portray the ideas that it helps promote the egotistic attitudes of professors who are selfish, and that it supports their lack of commitment to teaching. Critics believe that once a professor achieves full tenure status that they are no longer held accountable for their work, and there is no incentive to publish or teach effectively because their jobs are not at stake. There are solutions to combat these negative qualities that come from tenure. One solution is to offer tenure in a multi-year cycle, and have reviews at the end of the cycle that focus on quality and not quantity. In addition, institutions can begin to offer tenure or tenure earning status to part-time faculty by offering them part tenure appointments, or they could increase them to full-time tenure faculty. In general, individuals need to be cognizant of the fact that tenure is an employment perk, and it is a security in exchange for a sacrifice of higher wages.
Tenure is special to higher education, and institutional leaders need to realize how vital it is to the academy and the need to make it a priority. The collegial culture promotes freedom and faculty could lose their academic freedom in regards to; instruction, research, and scholarship if this declining trend continues. Faculty need the freedom to speak liberally, and they need to participate in the governance of the institution. There is a cost savings for institutions to employee part-time faculty over tenured faculty, but is this savings worth impacting the quality of education students are receiving? Institutions need to be mindful of the impact of decreasing tenure; otherwise, they are risking their academic culture, the quality of education, and their reputation.
References
AFT Higher Education. (2009). American Academic: The State of the Higher Education
Workforce 1997-2007. Retrieved from http://www.aftface.org
American Association of University Professors. (2010). Tenure and Teaching-Intensive
Appointments. Retrieved from http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/comm/rep/conversion.htm
Bergquist, W. H., & Pawlak, K. (2008). Engaging the Six Cultures of the Academy.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bowden, R. G. (2009). The Postsecondary Professoriate: Problems of Tenure, Academic
Freedom, and Employment Law. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal,
Sept 2009, v13 i3, p17(20)
Burgan, M. (2008). Save Tenure Now. Retrieved from
http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubres/academe/2008/SO/Feat/burg.htm?PF=1
Wilson, R. (2010, July). Tenure, RIP: What the Vanishing Status Means for the Future of Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Tenure-RIP/6614
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