Talk to me About Tenure and Stress.

thethinker42

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Yep, me again.

So I have two university professors. One has been tenured for a little over a year, one is about a year away from tenure. The story takes place during that last year before she's expecting to be tenured. So, that's is going to be a significant part of the story. More specifically, how it affects her and how it occupies her time/energy/etc.

I'm doing some research about the tenure track, all the hoops they have to jump through, etc., but I want to pick people's brains about what it's like to actually go through all of that. And I'm still learning how this all works, so I probably sound uber clueless, but rest assured, I'm learning. lol

From what I've been reading, that last year or two before actually being tenured (getting tenure? reaching tenure? not even sure how to word that) is incredibly stressful. Some articles I've read recently have mentioned being stressed to the point of being physically ill, getting migraines, etc. What was your experience like? What were the most stressful parts of the whole process?

How much time/energy does this involve during that last year or so? How much contact does the ass't professor have with the tenure committee, department heads involved in recommending/deciding on her tenure, etc? If there's an existing conflict between the ass't professor and a member of the committee (which boils down to "they just don't like each other"), how can that affect matters?

Basically, my character who isn't tenured is stressed out, and there are some issues that may cause her to be... denied? Rejected? The other character, who has been through it already, is trying to be supportive and reassuring, and knows what it's like since he's been there, done that.

So, tell me anything you can about this whole process and how it affects a person (from their stress levels to how much time it occupies, etc). Especially if there's something I may not have thought of. ANYTHING and everything helps, yo.

(For what it's worth, one character's field of study is biology, the other is history. I haven't decided which is which yet.)
 

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it
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The following will be based on my experience at a research-intensive state university (PAC-12 institution, although it was PAC-10 at the time).

First, the philosophy of tenure, which gives some employment security, although it can be revoked for incompetence, ethics issues, moral lapses, and the like. Once a researcher has established a research program and demonstrated that he/she can work independently, tenure allows that person to address some of the more risky research projects (the ones that are higher risk but with a higher potential pay-off). In contrast, developing that research program means that the initial selection of projects should be more "safe"--ones that will guarantee results that are publishable to build one's research reputation going into tenure. The greatest advances typically come from the more chancy, innovative projects, so tenure allows the security to go after them.

At research universities, tenure (and annual raises, when they are given) are based on performance in the three basic areas of faculty duty: research, teaching and service. In my institution, the breakdown was 45% research productivity, 40% teaching performance and effectiveness, and 15% service. Service was broken down to service to the department (committees, advising students, and other activities), college and university service, and service to the scientific community (serving on editorial boards of journals, reviewing papers for journals, serving on panels for federal granting agencies, reviewing grants for those agencies, serving as officers in scientific societies, and a variety of other things).

Research included number of research papers published per year, grants awarded (number and overall dollar amounts), graduate students mentored and graduated, and undergraduate students mentored through undergrad research programs. The mentoring of graduate students and undergrads also counted in the teaching category since that is the most intense of teaching situations (1:1 student to teacher ratio).

Teaching effectiveness was measured by student evaluations, teaching load (for example, large lower-division classes versus small-enrollment graduate-level courses), and a variety of other teaching related activities.

By far, the research component was the most important for tenure, but if a person was a failure as a teacher, it would lead to a failed tenure decision.

Why was it so stressful? This is a yes/no decision. A yes, and employment is continued. A no decision, and a one-year terminal contract is issued for the following year. Then, bye-bye. And it is very difficult to get a job in another research-intensive institution if one is denied tenure.

What are the research expectations for tenure? The cliche, "publish or perish" is appropriate for the sciences. Each sub-area of Biology has its own requirements for publication in the sense that in some areas two papers per year may be an excellent rate, and in other areas, four or more papers must be published to be considered "excellent" productivity. But the number of papers is not everything. They must be published in the top tier of peer-reviewed journals. There are lesser journals that are still peer-reviewed, and these should be avoided going into tenure (some are specialty journals with a limited readership). But what is even more important than the number of publications (because many assistant professors are still publishing the results from their graduate student days, or from their post-doctoral positions) is establishment of a research program at that institution. A research program means the papers published are all directed at answering a well-defined and major question in Biology. Publishing papers in a variety of scattered sub-areas of Biology will not cut it because that will not work well when applying for grant funding. A second critical filter for tenure is the demonstration of research independence. The individual must show that he/she is not dependent on others (through collaborations) for the establishment and development of his/her research program.

Grant funding is another critical part of research evaluation. Here, we are talking about major funding--from federal agencies (National Science Foundation, National Institutions of Health, etc.), large state agencies, and from private agencies that provide significant research support (e.g. American Heart Association). When I was going through tenure, it was expected that I would obtain an initial large grant (for three to five years of support), and the tenure decision was then made on the success (or failure) of the first competitive renewal of that grant (important for establishment of a research program mentioned above). Now, the research agencies have been cut beyond the bone due to budget cuts, so some universities have lightened up on this requirement. Some researchers are able to cobble together several smaller grants, but that may or may not work for a positive tenure decision (dependent on the university and the department). That would not have done it when I went through the process.

This is a long post, so I'll break it here and come back to discuss how it went for me.
 

NeuroFizz

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How tenure worked for me. I did receive a positive evaluation, so I received tenure and the linked promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. There is just one other promotion available in academic life (from Associate Professor to Full Professor), but that one is is not given to everyone, and there is no definite time period for consideration. Also, there are specific requirements for that promotion, but that is another subject, so I won't get into that (I did get that promotion as well, so I can give a run-down if anyone is interested).

Anytime a person faces a primarily-objective evaluation based on a diverse set of productivity measures, with the possibility of dismissal from something that that person has invested so many hard-working years to obtain, it is no surprise that this is one of the most stressful events in that person's life. I've been through the divorce thing, and I've moved to new places several times (considered two of the most stressful things in life), and going through tenure tops them all, even if one has a solid record of achievement. I was not the top performer in our department in terms of research papers published, but I was in the "very good" category (inadequate, poor, good, very good, excellent break-down). I had a couple of teaching awards, and I was quite active in service. However, there are so many diverse ways to satisfy the productivity criteria in the three areas of faculty work, it is impossible to hit them all--not enough hours in the day, week, or academic year. And in every tenure decision I have participated in since receiving tenure, there has been a list of ways that person should consider to improve his/her overall performance. This means the tenure committee, and later the department (all of the tenured members) will nit-pick at every candidate's record and surely find areas where a better effort can be made. This creates the uncertainty, even in highly productive individuals, of wondering if they have really done enough to earn tenure.

I have never had an issue with acne, but I developed a mild case of adult acne when I was going through tenure. After the positive decision, it all went away. That should indicate how the stress dominates life (internally and externally, including the function of my immune system). It starts about two years before the tenure decision (which is usually determined in the sixth or seventh year of service) and builds to a head in that last year. Adding to the stress is the pressure to get more research done, to get more manuscripts written and submitted, to get that big grant, and it usually sets up a final push that results in a last-minute burst of productivity. But that very last-minute burst can also work against the candidate. If a person only works hard under the pressure of tenure (for example if he/she published little in the first few years then has a burst of publications the last year before tenure review), that doesn't speak well of how that person will maintain productivity when the pressure of tenure is lifted--the omens suggest that person may become research "dead wood." So the real pressure vice is in getting those last several papers published and then wondering if the final burst of productivity will work against tenure. All this time, one's mind will be working through all kinds of scenarios, mostly bad, about how the committee and department will react to the record. I will say my biggest enemy was my mind. I could not keep it from spinning to the bad, and coupled with the stress, I did not sleep well during that last year. In some ways, it seemed like it was as much a physical test as one based on academic accomplishments.

I was fortunate that my then-wife was very understanding, and my young child was not too demanding. I regret that I probably wasn't the best father during that last year before tenure, and not the best husband, either, but we did not have marital problems then. I do know some people who did have the added stress of marital issues at tenure time, and I suspect the tenure "concentration" contributed.

Also, if one is prone to specific types of physical ailments (such as migraines), I would expect to see a significant increase of attacks/issues. This is one of the most important life events for those people who choose a research-related faculty career, so the stress can be overwhelming. I'll cite my adult acne as evidence.

I have talked to colleagues who flew through tenure with little stress, so there are people who have had the confidence and ability to blow through the process without significant stress, but I suspect they are in the extreme minority. It all depends on the institution and department also. In talking to other colleagues from comprehensive and liberal arts institutions, I get the impression that in a few cases, tenure is little more than a time-in-grade promotion, or that the requirement is a 98.6 (warm body). These instances should also be considered extremely rare as most comprehensive and liberal arts institutions are just as professional and careful about their tenure decisions as the larger institutions, although they may be biased more toward the teaching and service than the research.

I'll be happy to answer more specific questions, although if they are too personal, I'll prefer the PM route.

Also, others who have been through the process should chime in since my posts are based on n=1.
 

LJD

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I have talked to colleagues who flew through tenure with little stress, so there are people who have had the confidence and ability to blow through the process without significant stress, but I suspect they are in the extreme minority. It all depends on the institution and department also. In talking to other colleagues from comprehensive and liberal arts institutions, I get the impression that in a few cases, tenure is little more than a time-in-grade promotion, or that the requirement is a 98.6 (warm body). These instances should also be considered extremely rare as most comprehensive and liberal arts institutions are just as professional and careful about their tenure decisions as the larger institutions, although they may be biased more toward the teaching and service than the research.

In Canada being denied tenure is quite rare if you have a tenure-track position, so you do not really hear the stressful-tenure stories here. I am not in academia, but from the sounds of it, you have to either pretty much not publish, or be a total and complete disaster in the classroom. My friend told me about someone being denied tenure at a local university, and it was in a hushed, can-you-believe-it sort of way.
 

thethinker42

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Thanks so much for the info, Fizz! If I have more questions (and I probably will as I start really digging into the story) I'll PM you.
 

shakeysix

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Jeez--Fizz, I am so impressed!

I once had a college prof friend tell me to stay in high school teaching because the stress issues at the university level could be mortal! And she was head of the Modern Languages Department-no research involved!

Side note-- on her wall of diplomas and certificates she had a framed certificate from Pizza Hut certifying that she was a "dough master" --She earned it in the 18 months between her doctorate from a University in Spain and finding actual employment in her field. She went to work at a Pizza Hut because there wasn't anything else and her whole family was saying "I told you so." She said she worked just as hard on that certificate as any of the others and that's why it was on the wall.

It takes a special focus to teach on the university level--s6
 

benbenberi

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Why are academic politics so brutal?

-- Because the stakes are so low.
 

Debbie V

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Why are academic politics so brutal?

-- Because the stakes are so low.

Because the school hierarchy, the students and their families (they are paying to be there), the board of the institution, and, where public funding is at stake, the community at large all act as bosses of the teachers and staff.