How Important Is Tenure in Higher Education?
2021-09-05
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1How valuable would it be to have a guaranteed job for the rest of your life?
2In the United States, few jobs come with lifetime appointments.
3Federal judges, including justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, and college professors are on the short list.
4Professors can earn what is known as tenure.
5The idea of tenure got popular over 100 years ago when university presidents at some famous schools decided it was important to protect professors from outside interference.
6The idea is that a professor with tenure is free to teach or do research even if their state's leader does not like the subject.
7As a result, it is rare for a professor with tenure to be dismissed.
8Those who argue against tenure say professors might work hard leading up to what is known as a tenure review, and then stop working as hard after their job is safe.
9In addition, some experts worry that tenure protects professors who are accused of bad behavior.
10Young professors who are hired for jobs where tenure is a possibility are said to have "tenure track" jobs.
11They often have a review after their fifth year.
12If they earn tenure, then they have a job that is largely guaranteed for as long as they want it.
13The review is extremely detailed.
14Professors are judged by other members of the university on the quality of their teaching,
15the amount of research they have done in their subject and books and studies they have written.
16Professors at other schools write letters and past students can add their thoughts.
17The idea of tenure has been in the news recently.
18Two well-known Black professors recently made public disputes they had with the tenure process at some famous universities.
19Cornel West is a well-known professor who taught philosophy and African American Studies at Harvard.
20In February, he said Harvard rejected his request to be considered for tenure although he had a good five-year review.
21West had a tenured position at Harvard in the past but left the school in 2002 after a conflict with the university president.
22He went on to teach at Princeton University.
23He went back to Harvard in 2016.
24West said he would leave Harvard to teach at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
25Over the summer, reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones also was involved in a dispute over tenure.
26Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the New York Times' "1619 Project" and has received the famous MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant."
27She was offered a position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that did not include tenure.
28Professors at the university's Hussman School of Journalism and students protested.
29Widespread criticism caused the university to reconsider and include tenure in its offer.
30Hannah-Jones rejected the new offer and decided to join Howard University in Washington, D.C.
31She will use money from outside organizations to start a journalism center there.
32The tenure review is an important moment in a professor's career.
33Young professors often worry they will not do enough to get tenure, and they then worry that being denied tenure will be a bad mark on their record.
34One young professor, Geri Kerstiens, teaches at the University of California in Santa Cruz.
35She said Twitter is full of comments from professors worried about their tenure review, "because there are a lot of us and not as many jobs."
36But being denied tenure can be a new beginning.
37Some professors are rejected for tenure but go on to find a better place to work.
38One professor found a position that offered job security and supported her best work.
39Anne Baranger is an experienced chemistry professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
40Half of her job is tenured and half is not.
41Her status, she said, is "unusual."
42She said her job is secure because "it is difficult to imagine getting rid of half a person and not the other half."
43Before moving to California, she taught at universities in Illinois and Connecticut.
44She now helps graduate students think about their career path.
45Most start to plan their careers in their third or fourth year.
46At that point, they decide if they want to become a professor or work for a business that hires chemists.
47Students also decide if they want to center their career on teaching or research.
48In the past, universities often gave equal weight to a new professor's ability to carry out research, teach and serve the university.
49If a professor was not good in one of those areas, they would be denied tenure.
50Now, however, some universities think about hiring professors who can spend more time in areas where they are strong.
51Geri Kerstiens is one of Baranger's former chemistry students.
52She just started a tenure-track job in Santa Cruz.
53Kerstiens will teach chemistry, but one of her main jobs is to help the university revamp its chemistry program.
54She said she will do research on ways to teach chemistry, but she will not run a laboratory like many professors.
55Finding a job that centered on chemistry education was "a dream."
56"I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten what I've gotten. It was lightning striking. It's just not something I was expecting."
57Hannah Love is a philosophy professor at Portland Community College in Oregon.
58She was denied tenure at a different school early in her career.
59She was worried about what opportunities she would have after that.
60Now, however, she is happy at a community college because she can put more energy into teaching and helping students.
61She has a "continuous appointment," which means if she continues to do good work, her job is safe.
62She spoke with VOA about her earlier disappointment.
63"In retrospect, it's one of the best things that happened because I kind of always wanted to teach at a community college. I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, and professionally, it's a much better fit."
64Baranger, the Berkeley professor, said she would like to see non-teaching employees at universities considered with the same intensity.
65It might make the university better overall.
66"So it's a filter that's pretty serious and I don't think we would do something that required both so much work and was so frequently negative...I've never seen anybody fired. Ever."
67I'm Dan Friedell.
1How valuable would it be to have a guaranteed job for the rest of your life? 2In the United States, few jobs come with lifetime appointments. Federal judges, including justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, and college professors are on the short list. 3Professors can earn what is known as tenure. 4The idea of tenure got popular over 100 years ago when university presidents at some famous schools decided it was important to protect professors from outside interference. The idea is that a professor with tenure is free to teach or do research even if their state's leader does not like the subject. As a result, it is rare for a professor with tenure to be dismissed. 5Those who argue against tenure say professors might work hard leading up to what is known as a tenure review, and then stop working as hard after their job is safe. In addition, some experts worry that tenure protects professors who are accused of bad behavior. 6Young professors who are hired for jobs where tenure is a possibility are said to have "tenure track" jobs. They often have a review after their fifth year. If they earn tenure, then they have a job that is largely guaranteed for as long as they want it. 7The review is extremely detailed. Professors are judged by other members of the university on the quality of their teaching, the amount of research they have done in their subject and books and studies they have written. Professors at other schools write letters and past students can add their thoughts. 8Tenure disputes in news stories 9The idea of tenure has been in the news recently. Two well-known Black professors recently made public disputes they had with the tenure process at some famous universities. 10Cornel West is a well-known professor who taught philosophy and African American Studies at Harvard. In February, he said Harvard rejected his request to be considered for tenure although he had a good five-year review. West had a tenured position at Harvard in the past but left the school in 2002 after a conflict with the university president. He went on to teach at Princeton University. 11He went back to Harvard in 2016. West said he would leave Harvard to teach at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. 12Over the summer, reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones also was involved in a dispute over tenure. Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the New York Times' "1619 Project" and has received the famous MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant." 13She was offered a position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that did not include tenure. Professors at the university's Hussman School of Journalism and students protested. Widespread criticism caused the university to reconsider and include tenure in its offer. Hannah-Jones rejected the new offer and decided to join Howard University in Washington, D.C. She will use money from outside organizations to start a journalism center there. 14The tenure review is an important moment in a professor's career. Young professors often worry they will not do enough to get tenure, and they then worry that being denied tenure will be a bad mark on their record. One young professor, Geri Kerstiens, teaches at the University of California in Santa Cruz. She said Twitter is full of comments from professors worried about their tenure review, "because there are a lot of us and not as many jobs." 15But being denied tenure can be a new beginning. Some professors are rejected for tenure but go on to find a better place to work. One professor found a position that offered job security and supported her best work. 16How to value a professor's work 17Anne Baranger is an experienced chemistry professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Half of her job is tenured and half is not. Her status, she said, is "unusual." She said her job is secure because "it is difficult to imagine getting rid of half a person and not the other half." 18Before moving to California, she taught at universities in Illinois and Connecticut. She now helps graduate students think about their career path. Most start to plan their careers in their third or fourth year. At that point, they decide if they want to become a professor or work for a business that hires chemists. Students also decide if they want to center their career on teaching or research. 19In the past, universities often gave equal weight to a new professor's ability to carry out research, teach and serve the university. If a professor was not good in one of those areas, they would be denied tenure. Now, however, some universities think about hiring professors who can spend more time in areas where they are strong. Geri Kerstiens is one of Baranger's former chemistry students. She just started a tenure-track job in Santa Cruz. 20Kerstiens will teach chemistry, but one of her main jobs is to help the university revamp its chemistry program. She said she will do research on ways to teach chemistry, but she will not run a laboratory like many professors. Finding a job that centered on chemistry education was "a dream." 21"I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten what I've gotten. It was lightning striking. It's just not something I was expecting." 22What if tenure is denied? 23Hannah Love is a philosophy professor at Portland Community College in Oregon. She was denied tenure at a different school early in her career. She was worried about what opportunities she would have after that. Now, however, she is happy at a community college because she can put more energy into teaching and helping students. She has a "continuous appointment," which means if she continues to do good work, her job is safe. She spoke with VOA about her earlier disappointment. 24"In retrospect, it's one of the best things that happened because I kind of always wanted to teach at a community college. I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, and professionally, it's a much better fit." 25Baranger, the Berkeley professor, said she would like to see non-teaching employees at universities considered with the same intensity. It might make the university better overall. 26"So it's a filter that's pretty serious and I don't think we would do something that required both so much work and was so frequently negative...I've never seen anybody fired. Ever." 27I'm Dan Friedell. 28Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 29What do you think about the tenure process at universities? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 30___________________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32tenure -n. the right to keep a job, especially the job of being a professor at a college or university, for as long as you want to have it 33review -n. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something or someone : examination or inspection 34journalism -n. the activity of collecting, writing and editing news stories for newspapers, radio and television 35revamp -v. to make (something) better or like new again 36get rid (of) -v. to remove or throw away something 37in retrospect -n. when thinking about the past or something that happened in the past 38filter -n. a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it 39negative -adj. harmful or bad; not wanted