Surviving the Denial of Tenure: Anecdotes and Strategies for Moving Forward

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around personal anecdotes and experiences related to the denial of tenure in academic settings. Participants share stories about individuals affected by tenure decisions, their subsequent career paths, and the implications for their students. The scope includes both personal narratives and reflections on the academic tenure process.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about anecdotes related to tenure denial and its impact on individuals and their students.
  • Another participant describes a tenure process at their college, highlighting a "lame duck" year after denial, suggesting a lack of genuine opportunity for continuation.
  • A participant shares their brother-in-law's experience of being denied tenure at three universities over nine years, leading him to transition to industry for stability, particularly for his family's sake.
  • There is a question raised about the typical duration for tenure processes in the USA, contrasting it with the three-year timeline mentioned by another participant.
  • A participant recounts a friend's struggles after being denied tenure, detailing a series of short-term contracts and a sense of hopelessness regarding future employment.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the tenure process, including variations in tenure timelines and the implications of denial. There is no consensus on the best outcomes or strategies following tenure denial, as experiences vary widely.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying definitions of tenure processes across institutions and the personal nature of the anecdotes shared, which may not represent broader trends.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in academic career paths, tenure processes, and the experiences of those navigating tenure denial may find this discussion relevant.

oedipa maas
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I was wondering if anybody around here has an anecdote about someone they know who was refused tenure? What did they do? What did their students do?
 
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At my little college a professor has 3 years to get tenure. If he's denied after that time, he gets a 4th "lame duck" year. He is told that he is free to stick around as an adjunct instructor after that 4th year, but everybody knows he's not going to take it. It's just their way of saying, "Thanks, but this isn't working out. Take a hike."
 
My brother-in-law initially tried for an academic career in CS. After the third university denied him tenure (after a total of 9 years), he just went into industry. His kids were school age by then, and he just didn't want to continually uproot them. Industry has worked out very well for him, I might add.

Fortunately, he didn't have any graduate students that he was advising, because they would have had problems. (On the other hand, perhaps the lack of students was partially why he didn't get tenure!)
 
Tom Mattson said:
At my little college a professor has 3 years to get tenure.

Only three years? In the USA, it's usually six years, or seven if you count the final "lame duck" year.
 
A friend of mine has gone from small NASA contract to small NASA contract (usually less than 6 months of support and that's a good year) to feed his family since being denied tenure. He worked for a year at a small liberal arts school and they just walked in one day towards the end of the year and told him he wasn't coming back in the fall.

He hasn't done much and is convinced he won't get another job.
 

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