Running Head: THE IMPORTANCE OF TENURE IN HIGHER EDUCATION 1

The Importance of Tenure in American Higher Education Institutions

Nickzel Lezama

Northern Arizona University

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The Importance of Tenure in American Higher Education Institutions

The profession of education in the United States and across the world is revered for

being one of the most selfless and caring careers a person can assume. Educators are

responsible for the intellectual and social development of populations and to be successful,

they must have the support of their academic institutions. Institutional support manifests in

many different ways, including financially, offering competitive salaries and job security. During

the 1800s, the concept of academic tenure as institutional support, emerged in the United

States influenced by German educational systems (Harris, 2018). Furthermore, according to

Rosenthal, “tenure as a general practice is a twentieth-century invention” (2011). American

professors, convinced by the German systems, began to desire the same benefits as their

German colleagues (Harris, 2018). In 1915, the American Association of University Professors

(AAUP) was founded to “assume responsibility for developing standards to guide higher

education in service of the common good” and guide the practice of tenure (AAUP, 2019b).

Consequently, the AAUP introduced academic tenure to the higher education system.

Academic tenure is a lifetime appointment given to a faculty member as a result of

meeting specific qualifications and requirements. On the faculty and academic side, tenure was

designed to “safeguard academic freedom, which is necessary for all who teach and conduct

research in higher education” and the indefinite appointment can be “terminated only for

cause or under extraordinary circumstances” (AAUP, 2019b). On the administrative side, tenure

is a “human resources consideration” that allows for a “job perk, a fringe benefit, and a

recruiting tool” (Rosenthal, 2011). Despite data that suggests that tenure is on a decline, tenure
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is part of American higher education philosophy and therefore it is essential to continue and

maintain this practice for the benefit of the institution, faculty and its students.

The emergence of tenure in higher education stems from the notion that professors

should be able to exercise academic freedom. Academic freedom allows professors to

“promote the discovery and dissemination of knowledge and thus serve the common good”

(Figlio, Schapiro & Soter, 2013). Academic tenure allows professors to “speak their minds

without fear of replacement by administration” (Martens-Olzman, 2014). If disciplinary action is

needed by administration, professors are entitled to a fair trial according to the AAUP

guidelines. Although academic freedom is a highly regarded perk of tenure, there are many

other reasons and benefits for a tenured faculty. “Faculty, over the course of many years, invest

disproportionate economic, psychological, and other resources in obtaining their positions” and

therefore should be able to be compensated accordingly (Allen, n.d.). Tenure is considered a

reward for the number of years of service a professor has devoted to teaching.

Furthermore, tenure is a source of job security and offers professors a shield against

false accusations and protects them from being fired easily (Eisenman, 2015). Additionally, in

the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, tenure should meet

specific characteristics; it should allow for freedom of teaching, research and extramural

activities and economic security and compensation adequate to the level of the profession

(AAUP, 2019a). Tenure should be seen as an incentive for professors to want to enter the

profession as they not in it for the monetary compensation. These protections and perks of

tenure allow professors to express their academic beliefs freely without having to worry about

dismissal for controversial comments or work. Additionally, it allows for compensation for their
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long years of service and dedication to research providing for competitive salaries that allow

the institution to retain academic talent within their institution.

Despite the great benefits of academic tenure, some continue to oppose it. It has been

known for some time now that “students taught by tenured professors has steadily shrunk over

the years” and opponents attribute these declines to different factors (Vedder, 2018) The

biggest concern for critics is the fact that tenure is a lifetime appointment. According to

Preston, “teacher tenure creates complacency because teachers know they are unlikely to lose

their jobs” (1996). This point of criticism assumes that as professors are tenure, their level of

teaching is diminished by the comfortable feeling of a job for life and difficultly being able to be

fired. In his NAS article, the author proves this criticism by citing his experience with a professor

that “slowed down on his teaching duties after receiving tenure in order to free up time to

pursue a beloved avocation” (Kline, 2015). Other critics cite financial hardship as a cause for the

elimination of tenured faculty at public institutions. “When a school grants a faculty member

tenure, it is in effect incurring a financial liability that probably present value well into the seven

digits” (Vedder, 2018). This financial liability causes a more noticeable dent in public school’s

budgets as enrollments decline and costs of operations increase. For these reasons, there are

states like Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Arkansas that have “already made explicit

policy moves to weaken tenure” (Warner, 2018). There are also proposals in the academic

community to forgo tenure. According to the AAUP, proposals are being made such that

“prospective faculty members accept renewable term appointments and forgo consideration

for tenure” and that the tenure option should be renounced in exchange for benefits such as

higher pay (2000).

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Hard critics of tenure emphasize the assumed negative impact on the

institution. Nonetheless, there are foreseeable consequences if tenure is discontinued in higher

education. The predictable implications include: silencing of the faculty, academia would be less

attractive, and would cause diminished faculty loyalty (Warner, 2018).

In understanding its importance in higher education, it is vital to recognize the current

situation of tenure in the United States. The tenure system has been deteriorating over the

years, “at its best, the tenure system is a big tent, designed to unite a diverse faculty within a

system of common professional values, standards, rights, and responsibilities” (AAUP,

n.d.). Based on evidence and statistics, tenured positions have decreased among professors

working in public universities. According to the National Science Board, tenured doctoral

holders decreased to 47% in 2015 from 53% in 1995 (2018). Overall, almost all academic fields

experienced a decrease in tenured positions from 1995 to 2015. In particular, the psychology

field decreased by 8.4% in total tenured faculty. Conversely, the computer and information

sciences were the only filed to experience an increase in tenured professors from 1995 to 2015

by 13.2% of doctoral holders (National Science Board, 2018). Furthermore, “about three-

quarters of all faculty positions are off the tenure track…while many now work on multiyear

contracts…” (Flaherty, 2018). Community colleges represent the most significant users of the

multiyear contract system. The majority of their full-time faculty, at 63% are on these types of

contracts (AAUP, n.d.). Tenured positions are represented the most at research-intensive and

four-institutions, while only 20% of all faculty are tenured at two-year institutions (Flaherty,

2018). This trend in tenure has also affected the private institution. From 1993-94 to 2011-12,

faculty with tenure decreased from 50% to 44% (The College Board, n.d.).
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The value of tenure goes beyond academic freedom and lifetime appointments. Tenure

brings creative freedom and expertise to higher education institutions. Efficient university

operations depend on tenure to keep talented faculty “to get our important work done”

(Greenwald, 2019). Creative freedom brought on by experienced, tenured faculty is necessary

for colleges and universities encouraging “academics to research and write about topics that

are potentially controversial without fear of termination or repercussion” (Kokemuller,

n.d.). Furthermore, higher education institutions rely on shared governance to keep

educational operations running effectively. In order to practice shared governance efficiently,

institutions need committed faculty (such as tenured professors) to be available to participate

in shared governance activities to ensure quality control over curriculum enhancing the quality

of education offered to students (Greenwald, 2019). Still, one of the most important values of

tenure in American higher education is that it brings an unequaled incentive and gratification

for the public institution professor. “Stability of employment expectations, for individuals of

demonstrated competence, tends to enhance the attractiveness of the teaching profession and

may induce highly qualified persons to pursue a teaching career in lieu of more lucrative

pursuits” (Kobelan, 2012). If tenure were to be eliminated from the higher education system, it

might reduce the number of people willing to go into college teaching as a career; it would

make teaching less attractive (Kobelan, 2012).

Institutions with tenure demonstrate their appreciation and worth of the professor and

validate their commitment to keeping the talent needed to improve the educational experience

of their students. Colleges and universities offering tenure enable them to attract the best

educators and “hold very able people for less money since they have the benefit of lifetime job
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security” (Kobelan, 2012). It is with no doubt that tenure improves the quality of education, and

therefore institutions should consider increasing the amount of tenured faculty to reward the

years of hard work and commitment to unconditionally serving the educational system for the

greater good of their communities.

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References

AAUP. (2000, November). Incentives to Forgo Tenure. Retrieved July 2019, from AAUP Reports

and Publications: https://www.aaup.org/report/incentives-forgo-tenure.

AAUP. (2019a). 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. Retrieved July

2019, from AAUP Reports & Publications: https://www.aaup.org/report/1940-

statement-principles-academic-freedom-and-tenure.

AAUP. (2019b). Tenure. Retrieved July 2019, from AAUP Issues:

https://www.aaup.org/issues/tenure.

Allen, H. L. (n.d.). Tenure: Why Faculty, and the Nation, Need It. The NEA Higher Education

Journal, 95-110. Retrieved from:

www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/Tenure3_FacultyNationNeedIt.pdf.

American Association of University Professors. (n.d.). Data Snapshot: Contingent Faculty in US

Higher Ed. Retrieved July 2019, from

https://www.aaup.org/sites/default/files/10112018%20Data%20Snapshot%20Tenure.p

df.

Eisenman, R. (2015, July 14). Why College Professors Need Tenure. Retrieved July 2019, from

Dicta: https://www.nas.org/blogs/dicta/why_college_professors_need_tenure.

Figlio, D., Schapiro, M. O., & Soter, K. B. (2013). Tenure in Academia, the Past, Present and

Future. (HigherEdJobs) Retrieved July 2019, from HigherEd Careers Interviews:

https://www.higheredjobs.com/higheredcareers/interviews.cfm?ID=459.
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Flaherty, C. (2018, October 12). A Non-Tenure-Track Profession? Retrieved July 2019, from

Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/10/12/about-three-

quarters-all-faculty-positions-are-tenure-track-according-new-aaup.

Greenwald, R. A. (2019, March 14). Protecting Tenure. Retrieved July 2019, from Inside Higher

Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/03/14/overlooked-administrative-

and-financial-benefits-tenure-opinion.

Harris, M. (2018, April 23). History of tenure [Blog post]. Retrieved July 2019, from

http://higheredprofessor.com/2018/04/23/history-of-tenure.

Kline, M. (2015, July 14). The Enigma of Tenure. Retrieved July 2019, from National Association

of Scholars: https://nas.org/blogs/dicta/the_enigma_of_tenure.

Kobelan, L. (2012, February 9). The Tenure Debate: Pros and Cons: Advantages and

Disadvantages of Tenure. Retrieved July 2019, from Master's In Teaching:

https://www.mastersinteaching.com/the-tenure-debate-pros-and-cons/#more-253.

Kokemuller, N. (n.d.). Positive Effects of Tenure. Work-Chron.com, Hearst Newspeper LLC.

Retrieved from: http://work.chron.com/positive-effects-tenure-10715.html.

Martens-Olzman, D. (2014, January 22). Teacher Tenure Is Important to the Educational System.

Retrieved July 2019, from The Bottom Line: University of California, Santa Barbara:

https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2014/01/teacher-tenure-is-important-to-the-

educational-system.

National Science Board. (2018). 2018 Science & Engineering Indicators. National Science Board:

https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2018/nsb20181/assets/968/academic-research-and-

development.pdf
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Preston, J. A. (1996, December 3). The Tenure Debate. Retrieved July 2019, from Georgia

Institute of Technology: Grads: https://www.cc.gatech.edu/grads/p/Jon.Preston/3020.

Rosenthal, C. (2011). Fundamental Freedom or Fringe Benefit? Rice University and the

Administrative History of Tenure, 1935–1963. AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, II, 1-

24.

The College Board. (n.d.). Percentage of Full-Time Faculty with Tenure over Time. Retrieved July

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pricing/figures-tables/percentage-full-time-faculty-tenure-time.

Vedder, R. (2018, May 3). Is Tenure Dying? Does It Matter? Retrieved July 2019, from Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardvedder/2018/05/03/is-tenure-dying-does-it-

matter/#363688815365.

Warner, J. (2018, June 20). Tenure Is Already Dead [Blog post]. Retrieved July 2019, from Inside

Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/tenure-already-dead.