ABSTRACT
A healthy tenure is when a dean is creating positive outcomes for the college, whether it is for the future of the college as a contributing university component or for the current programs, faculty, and students of the college. Stress is one of the main factors leading to the decision to step out of a dean's position. The demands of being a dean, and the time required of deaning, can be hard on family relationships. There are many forces acting upon a dean's position, some of which over time may tend to destabilize their productivity plateau and thus the dean's ability to accomplish goals. The dean's credibility is critical to the preservation and stabilization of the college. To minimize family-related stress, the best time to become a dean is when one's nest is empty, which apparently is what happens most of the time since only about one-third of deans have children at home.
