What does it mean to have tenure?

On May 2, 2014, I was granted tenure at Jacksonville University. This accomplishment represents five years of service to JU (at the culmination of 28 years of academic progress) and means a great deal to my future. I am very thankful to my family and friends (especially Amy Lane, who sits at the intersection of the two) for their support, encouragement, and patience. I am also thankful to my colleagues on JU's faculty and administration for their collaboration and mentorship---and, of course, for voting to grant me tenure!

As I've discussed this upcoming decision with many over the last several years, I've learned that many people don't understand what tenure is, why it exists, or how it is granted.

What is tenure?

I think a very concise description of tenure is found in JU's faculty by-laws: "The faculty member does not bear the burden to justify retention." Tenure is the relief of a faculty member having to prove the worthwhileness of her continued employment at the institution. It is the university making an indefinite commitment to retain the faculty member based on his already established worth and promise for the future; granting tenure is the university declaring that it wants the faculty member to be a staple of the community. In short, tenure is job security, of the sort not found in almost any other field or industry.

Why is tenure?

This description typically produces two types of responses: "Where can I sign up?!" or "That's not good!" Both of these responses come from the perception that tenure is security for the sake of comfort, based on the observation of what is sometimes the unfortunate result of tenure: Lackluster output.

Let me describe tenure in a way that is both more positive and more accurate to what universities intend it to be: The freedom to make mistakes.

Over the last five years, I have had to demonstrate my success in teaching, scholarship, and university service (which some, including me, would like to change to "Service and Leadership"). In doing so, I needed to stick to what I knew would work: Proven engaged teaching strategies (modified just enough to demonstrate innovation), promising research avenues (with sufficiently short turnaround time to produce publications by my tenure application date), and readily available service and leadership roles. If I ventured too far off the beaten path, I ran the risk of poor teaching evaluations, a lackluster research record, and being a faceless name on campus. That's not to say I couldn't (or didn't) take any risks at all, but in short, I had to demonstrate excellence and be able to clearly explain any failures.

I no longer have that burden. I am now free to make mistakes.

I am now free to innovatively adjust the delivery of my courses, and not have to fear the student reviews if the reforms misfire. Why? Because I have demonstrated that I can make a teaching plan based on proven learning principles.

I am now free to pursue unexplored or underdeveloped areas of research, and not have to obsess over my publication record. Why? Because I have demonstrated that I can plan, execute, and evaluate quality research.

I am now free to take on the service and leadership roles that I find to be important, and not feel guilty about saying no to other opportunities. Why? Because I have demonstrated my commitment to JU.

Tenure, in short, is a safety net; it allows the tenured faculty member to try stunts that would otherwise be potentially dangerous without it.

How is tenure granted?

I hope you see what a huge commitment tenure is on the part of the granting institution! Tenure is a decision by, quite literally, the entire university: One's closest colleagues, multiple levels of supervisors, a university-wide committee, and ultimately the President and Board of Trustees all have a say in the decision, and each looks at the tenure candidate with a critical eye toward the care of the university's students. This multi-layered criticality is why it takes so long for tenure decisions to comes through; I applied in October 2013 and just heard the final decision in May!

I hope this description has been helpful for you to be able to celebrate with recently tenured faculty members and to support pre-tenure faculty members.