Great article for those of us not in academia, but working with and surrounded by both tenured and non-tenured faculty as we engage with various aspects of the university system as volunteers. Always look forward to the next installment.
Great overview of something people outside academia don’t have a good handle on. Still seems to be a stereotype of most professors being that old twee jacket wearing tenure grey hair. Definitely not the case, as you illustrate.
I just went through the process and feel relieved to have been granted tenure. Now Im trying to really rethink what my contribution is beyond journal articles. Substack is definitely a part of that rethinking.
Thanks Ryan and congratulations on earning tenure! We're actually focusing our next post on what actually happens after faculty receive tenure. The opportunity to rethink what's next and how you can best contribute without the urgency of the probationary period bearing down is an important outcome of earning tenure.
When a lot of people live in fear generally, and in fear of getting fired or laid off specifically, there isn't much sympathy for tenure I think. So we drift away from the liberal arts and towards college as employment training... and the appeal of authoritarianism for that matter.
Colleges are good at marketing. They have to sell the idea more if they want to keep the liberal arts, academic freedom and tenure alive. The professor who works seventy or eighty hours a week doing research, writing and teaching has to find the time to advocate for this. I doubt anyone else is going to do it.
I agree that most people don't understand the arguments for why tenure should exist. Our next three posts take this issue head-on. And more generally, our larger project here is very much in line with your comment. If we don't make an affirmative case for universities (while also acknowledging their flaws and identifying the ways they can improve), we will continue to see rapid erosion of public support for the critical mission they serve in society.
Great article for those of us not in academia, but working with and surrounded by both tenured and non-tenured faculty as we engage with various aspects of the university system as volunteers. Always look forward to the next installment.
Thanks much for your support Joyce - glad you are finding the posts useful.
Great overview of something people outside academia don’t have a good handle on. Still seems to be a stereotype of most professors being that old twee jacket wearing tenure grey hair. Definitely not the case, as you illustrate.
I just went through the process and feel relieved to have been granted tenure. Now Im trying to really rethink what my contribution is beyond journal articles. Substack is definitely a part of that rethinking.
Thanks Ryan and congratulations on earning tenure! We're actually focusing our next post on what actually happens after faculty receive tenure. The opportunity to rethink what's next and how you can best contribute without the urgency of the probationary period bearing down is an important outcome of earning tenure.
Im very glad you are writing this. Thanks so much!
Thanks for your support Laurel!
When a lot of people live in fear generally, and in fear of getting fired or laid off specifically, there isn't much sympathy for tenure I think. So we drift away from the liberal arts and towards college as employment training... and the appeal of authoritarianism for that matter.
Colleges are good at marketing. They have to sell the idea more if they want to keep the liberal arts, academic freedom and tenure alive. The professor who works seventy or eighty hours a week doing research, writing and teaching has to find the time to advocate for this. I doubt anyone else is going to do it.
I agree that most people don't understand the arguments for why tenure should exist. Our next three posts take this issue head-on. And more generally, our larger project here is very much in line with your comment. If we don't make an affirmative case for universities (while also acknowledging their flaws and identifying the ways they can improve), we will continue to see rapid erosion of public support for the critical mission they serve in society.