Tenure is an employment status that limits the circumstances under which someone can be fired. The tenure review evaluates a scholar’s performance and determines whether they should be granted tenure, which offers job security and protects academic freedom. Critics argue that it removes incentives to excel.
The tenure review is an evaluation process conducted to determine whether or not a scholar should be tenured. Tenure is an employment status that limits the circumstances under which someone can be fired. Once a faculty member is offered, it is very difficult to remove them from a teaching position. There are several reasons why colleges and universities use a tenure system. One of the most important is the desire to protect academic freedom by ensuring that faculty members cannot be fired for holding controversial or unpopular opinions.
When someone is hired to join the faculty of a college or university, the new hire may be placed in a tenured position, meaning that he or she may become eligible for tenure. The faculty member goes through a series of steps with periodic promotions based on performance and eventually a tenure review is held. The timing of these reviews varies according to the institution’s policies.
In an tenure review, several facets of performance are considered. Student and other faculty evaluations are evaluated along with the faculty member’s publication credits and other accomplishments. Reports are accepted by the department employing the faculty member. The faculty may also consider issues such as the faculty member’s reputation and area of expertise. The process is designed to be complete and balanced to create a complete picture of the potential tenure candidate.
An tenure review committee assembles all of this information into a report, discusses the report, and votes. A teacher who is denied tenure may have the opportunity to be reviewed again at a later date. Denial suggests that the committee felt the professor was lacking in some area. This deficiency must be resolved before a claim can be successful. If the tenure request is approved, the teacher will receive a tenured position. Some colleges and universities use a process known as a post-incumbent review to continue evaluating faculty members who have achieved tenured positions.
The tenure of a professor offers professors considerable job security. In some regions, the practice of tenure has been strongly criticized. Critics believe that tenure removes incentives to excel, because professors can be sure they won’t be fired for not publishing, for not meeting student needs, or for lack of teaching. Alternatives to tenure include options such as long-term contracts that guarantee people job security but do not guarantee permanent employment.
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