ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an overview of tenure and a foundation for the reader. Assistant professors are scholars of their disciplines, not of tenure and its role in higher education. The chapter will provide a background and history of tenure, the rationale for tenure, and key concepts. The three interrelated processes of tenure (legal, peer review, and political) that work together and at cross purposes are described. Institutional culture, norms, and socialization are examined to provide a framework for pre-tenure faculty to analyze their current institutional setting. Finally, necessary background information such as faculty loads, teaching assignments, and the tenure clock will be examined to provide a common baseline for the remainder of the book.