1. Tenure and Promotion in Universities
Marian R. Walters, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
Penn State Harrisburg, the Capital College

2. Define “Tenure”? Faculty Perceptions: Job/rank guarantee
Salary guarantee
Academic Freedom (define own role,
jobs, time commitments etc)
Merriam-Webster: a status granted a teacher
after a trial period that prevents summary
dismissal
Reality???????
See Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/27/09

3. Professional Survival
  Walters’ Immutable Rules for
Professional Survival
YOU AND YOU ALONE are ultimately responsible for
your own career, including Promotion and Tenure,
career direction, career opportunities, etc.
Take your responsibility seriously.
Seek as much information and help/mentoring as
possible.
Give them “Ammo”……

4. Professional Survival
  Walters’ Immutable Rules for
Professional Survival
YOU AND YOU ALONE are ultimately responsible for your own career,
including Promotion and tenure, career direction, career opportunities, etc.
Take your responsibility seriously. Seek as much information and
help/mentoring as possible.
You MUST learn to work with your Chair.
Corollary: You don’t have to LIKE them to learn
to work with them.

5. Professional Survival
  Walters’ Immutable Rules for
Professional Survival
YOU AND YOU ALONE are ultimately responsible for your own career,
including Promotion and tenure, career direction, career opportunities,
etc. Take your responsibility seriously. Seek as much information and
help/mentoring as possible.
2. You MUST learn to work with your Chair.
Corollary: You don’t have to LIKE them to learn to work with them.
Seek mentors:
Professional colleagues are willing to give advice, and often feel honored to be asked.
Corollary: You don’t have to take any of the advice you get, but at least you are learning in the process.

6. Professional Survival
  Walters’ Immutable Rules for
Professional Survival
YOU AND YOU ALONE are ultimately responsible for your own career,
including Promotion and tenure, career direction, career opportunities,
etc. Take your responsibility seriously. Seek as much information and
help/mentoring as possible.
2. You MUST learn to work with your Chair.
Corollary: You don’t have to LIKE them to learn to work with them.
Seek mentors: Professional colleagues are willing to give advice, and often feel honored to be asked. Do not be shy about seeking advice/council.
Corollary: You don’t have to take any of the advice you get, but at least you are learning in the process.
NEVER, EVER put anything in writing
(including or facebook or…)
that you do not want to discuss in public at the
most inopportune time imaginable.

7. Professional Survival
  Walters’ Immutable Rules for
Professional Survival
1. YOU AND YOU ALONE are ultimately responsible for your own career, including
Promotion and tenure, career direction, career opportunities, etc. Take your
responsibility seriously. Seek as much information and help/mentoring as
possible. 
2. You MUST learn to work with your Chair.
Corollary: You don’t have to LIKE them to learn to work with them. 
3. Seek mentors: Professional colleagues are willing to give advice, and often
feel honored to be asked. Do not be shy about seeking advice/council.
Corollary: You don’t have to take any of the advice you get, but at least you
are learning in the process.
4. NEVER, EVER put anything in writing (including or facebook or…)
that you do not want to discuss in public at the most inopportune time imaginable.
NEVER, EVER assume that anything you say, do or write is confidential.
Corollary: Always be certain that YOU are the one to tell your Chair (other superior) important news about your activities (job search, interview etc.)

8. Teaching, Research, Service
Tenure Criteria:
Teaching, Research, Service
________________
Emphasis depends on:
-- Institution
chair, other senior administrator
-- Timing
-- Committee members

9. Define Service Service to the University, College, department
Service to the Discipline/Profession
Service to Society (using academic expertise)

10. Define Service Service to the University, College, department
Service to the Discipline/Profession
Service to Society (using academic expertise)
Usually, less service (but almost never no
service) is expected for tenure:
EXCEPTION: if a NATIONAL reputation is
expected, service to NATIONAL societies is an
irreplaceable credential

11. Tenure Review Process Level 2: College P&T Committee => Dean
Level 1: Department P&T Committee => Chair
Level 2: College P&T Committee => Dean
_________
May be the final decision step, otherwise:
Level 3: University P&T Committee =>
Provost or President

12. Tenure and Promotion Documents
YOU are responsible…TAKE responsibility

13. Tenure and Promotion Documents
YOU are responsible…TAKE responsibility
Documents include:
CV/Biographical Info
List of Publications (complete citations)
List of Abstracts/Presentations
Teaching Information
Service/Committee Information
**External Letters**

14. Usually some solicited from “Your“ list and
**External Letters**
Usually some solicited from “Your“ list and
some from others (e.g., Chair’s list)
Pick those on “your” list very carefully

15. Impeccable credentials: preferably
Pick those on “your” list very carefully
Impeccable credentials: preferably
department chairs
People who know you and value what you
have accomplished (e.g., those you meet at
your Society meetings)
People who can write strong letters
Give them “ammo”
The letters and who they were solicited from
is almost never provided to the candidate

16. Preparing for the Process
First step in new position:
-- Get all the information on the process and
requirements as soon as you start any
new position
(or at least from this moment on)

17. Preparing for the Process
First step in new position:
-- Get all the information on the process and
requirements as soon as you start any
new position
(or at least from this moment on)
Second step: Surpass requirements

18. are ultimately responsible for your own career”
Preparing for the Process
First step in new position:
-- Assess requirements for tenure and
promotion
-- Get all the information on the process and
requirements as soon as you start any
new position
(or at least from this moment on)
Second step: Surpass requirements
Third Step: Surpass…
“YOU AND YOU ALONE
are ultimately responsible for your own career”

19. Monitor Your Own Progress
Read/reread institution/department docs re
tenure and promotion
Read other literature on tenure and
promotion (e.g., Professional Society, etc.)
Periodic Reviews
Importance: Interim report cards
Keep your CV up-to-date and complete

20. Be crucially aware of your tenure “clock”
Take advantage of clock “stops”:
-- usually “stops” must be prospective

21. Be crucially aware of your tenure “clock”
Take advantage of clock “stops”:
-- usually “stops” must be prospective
-- tenure time is too late….
.... to realize that you could have overcome
adversity (e.g., family needs/heavy administrative work) and achieved the
necessary requirements
if only....

22. ENSURING TENURE SUCCESS: OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
DISCUSS, discuss, discuss your career goals with your Chair, Chief, etc.
Remember: Your Chair’s opinion may be
the single most important factor in your
promotion/tenure.

23. Audio is not available for the following slides.

24. ENSURING TENURE SUCCESS: OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
DISCUSS, discuss, discuss your career goals with your Chair and Section Chief.
Remember: Your Chair’s opinion may be
the single most important factor in your
promotion/tenure.
Work, work, work to provide as much
AMMUNITION as possible

25. ENSURING TENURE SUCCESS: OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
DISCUSS, discuss, discuss your career goals with your Chair and Section Chief.
Remember: Your Chair’s opinion may be
the single most important factor in your
promotion/tenure.
Work, work, work to provide as much
AMMUNITION as possible
Corollary: Exceed as many requirements as possible
“You and you alone….”

26. Why is Mentoring Important?
No penalty for requesting advice and
guidance in personal or professional
issues; no one knows it all.
Significant advantages in developing good
working relationships with more experienced professionals
You do not have to take all/any advice you are
given, but at least you can determine
some of your options
Many senior faculty consider mentoring a routine part of their professional duties 

27. Why is Mentoring Important?
Professional/research mentoring can lead to
meaningful collaborations
Mentors also gain from interactions with
younger faculty with new ideas
Choose mentor(s) carefully; one mentor
may not fulfill all needs
Mentoring should be freely given, works better
over time, professional “give and take”

28. (One of most stressful times of life/career)
You Got Tenure/Promotion: Now What?
-- CELEBRATE!!!
-- Relax
(One of most stressful times of life/career)
-- Then, keep up the good work:
the next step is PROFESSOR

29. What If You Don’t get Tenure? Or: There IS Life/Career Afterwards
Many people blossom in a new setting
Many different academic institutions
-- Value different talents
-- Very different professional “inhibitors”

30. What If You Don’t get Tenure? Or: There IS Life/Career Afterwards
Best/easier to find different “path” before
tenure denial
Even if not before tenure denial, may blossom
in a new setting…
Even if get tenure, may want to change “paths”

31. How to Find A New Position
Mentors
Assess Strengths
Career Coach
Grieving Process