Last week was a big week for me. I had the most important meeting of my slightly-more-than-one-year being in an academic job. Some of you might have known that I am on tenure-track position. And last week I had the first review, first year progress-to-tenure review. It was not as big a deal as a tenure review or third year review, but still, it’s very important. I didn’t worry much but was a bit nervous. I’ll be back on this issue later, but for now let me explain about this word “tenure”.

In the North American system, there’s the so called “tenure” commonly refers to “life tenure” in a job, and specifically to a senior acadmic’s contractual right not to be fired without cause. Under this system, tenure is associated with more senior job titles, or higher ranks of professorship (full and associate). A junior professor — like me — will not be promoted to such a tenure position without demonstrating a strong record of, mainly, research (mostly judged based on publications and, sometimes, grants), but also teaching and administrative service. Typical systems allow only a limited period to establish such a record, by limiting the number of years that any employee can hold a junior title such as Assistant Professor. At ASU and elsewhere in the US, the typical period is 6 years. Meaning by the end of fifth year, I should submit my tenure documents and before the end of my sixth year I’ll know whether I get tenured and promoted or not. If I didn’t get the tenure, there’re two possibilities: being kicked out of the job or given one (or, in some cases, two) probationary year to fulfil the tenure requirement.

I perhaps shouldn’t worry much about my tenure review, it’s still four years from now. But, in essence, I should plan my activities and accomplishments accordingly as part of the record I want to create by the end of my fifth year. Many young professors failed to do so and they didn’t get tenure. Don’t get it wrong, most of professors who didn’t get tenured aren’t lazy nor stupid academia. Of course all of them are smart. And I believe most of them work really hard too. It’s just the standard of getting tenure has been getting higher and higher.

Chronicle of higher education says that a standard to get a tenure-track job in the US these days is as high as a standard to get tenured a decade ago. Perhaps that’s an overstatement. Yet, there’s a partial truth to it. To just get a tenure-track position in the US, you have to compete with 100, 200, and more PhDs all over the world, for just one position. Well, the number of applicants for one position depends on the field/university. But based on my own experience applying for a tenure-track job and later experience being involved in recruitment processes, I am informed (a little) about the number. My school recently conducted a search for a new tenure-track position. We got nearly 200 applicants for just one position. Imagine that newly graduated PhDs from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia (oh, those ivy leagues) and some less known universities (or unknown universities like mine!!! — only well-known in some parts of the Netherlands, hehe), competed just for one position. Isn’t it crazy?

Of course in some other disciplines, the pool could be bigger or smaller. Usually interdiciplinary studies have bigger pool because people from different disciplines can apply. Arts and humanities (this incl. language) usually have smaller pool. I am not so well informed about natural sciences and engineering. I heard it reaches around 200 as well at ASU. According to some sources, non-research university (teaching colleges) and lower tiered colleges/universities (there’s top tier national university, and there’re third and fourth tiers in US system) naturally get lower pools.

It’s different than European systems (not all, just some that I am familiar with) where you don’t really get that huge pool. And then there’s no tenure-track system, once you’re in then you’re in (but when you’re out, it’s hard to get in!). I do think US system is crazily competitive. Too little positions, too many PhDs, too competitive people. I found European system is more humane. You get more vacation and the pressure is not as high as in the US. Not to mention that in general the quality of life in Europe is higher than in the US. But well, not so many positions available in European (at least Dutch) system anyway, and when it comes to facilities and resources the US is like heaven. For example, library network/system in the US is so so much better if compared to Dutch one. So, I guess there’re downsides in every system. For me, regardless what I think about the system, I am here in the US system already so I should survive this system, no matter what. Or, if someday I feel so uncomfortable with all of these, I can just quit, right?

To be honest, as I got into the system, I found it’s overwhelming that after competing like crazy to get a position then you still have to be harshly competitive. ASU standard for tenureship has been getting higher and higher that in my College now someone will have to publish 10 articles minimum (if solely authored and more for multi-authored) in top journals plus a book to get tenured. And you have to get your book published by top publishers and get good reviews. Someone just was denied tenure eventhough she got her book published (by Routledge, not the most competitive, but a good one, right?). She, however, hasn’t got the book reviewed yet. Scary reality, huh?

Wikipedia stated that “in North American universities and colleges, the tenure track has long been a defining feature of employment.” However, these days, there are increasingly more and more colleges and universities, particularly those of non-research universities, that have taken advantages of the large supply of new PhDs (or ABD — all but dissertation — PhD candidates) by creating more and more non-tenure-track positions. In fact, in North American universities, the growth of non-tenure-track positions is higher than that of tenure-track positions. There are more and more non-tenured post-doctoral, adjunct professor, lecturer, and other positions. They usually are given higher load of teaching with lower salaries and no guarantee of continuing contracts. Yes, I do think it’s very unfair.

So, in the end, it’s easy to say that no matter competitive it is, being on a tenure-track position is definitely much better than on a non-tenured one.

to be continued…….