what counts for tenure? preliminary survey results kathleen a. terry-sharp director of academic...
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What Counts for Tenure?
Preliminary Survey Results
Kathleen A. Terry-SharpDirector of Academic Relations
American Anthropological Association
Analysis by P.Y. Bellamy and D.C. Sharp, Ph.D.Nathan Associates – Memphis
Methodology Letter sent to 565 Anthropology
department chairs across the U.S. requesting that they complete a questionnaire online.
Collected 226 total responses (n=226).
Questions gathered information on institutions and departments, tenure requirements, and journal quality.
Institutions and Departments
Is your institution public or private?
Public, 151, 67%
Private, 74, 33%
Did not answer, 1, 0%
Which best describes your institution?
Carnegie classifications of enrollment
Which best describes your department?
Highest degree in Anthropology granted at your institution
Average number of Anthropology faculty by faculty status and department type
All Respondents (n=140 ) Joint Departments (n=90)
Faculty in Department Faculty Teaching Anthropology
Mean S.D. Mean S.D.
Tenured or tenure track: Full-time 10.16 6.98 4.42 3.46
Tenured or tenure track: Part-time 1.13 1.93 0.94 2.10
Non-tenure track: Full-time 1.63 1.72 1.07 1.40
Non-tenure track: Part-time 4.61 7.17 2.71 3.46
Graduate teaching assistants: Full-time 6.96 9.24 1.24 3.49
Graduate teaching assistants: Part-time 4.15 8.59 0.36 0.99
Change in number of Anthropology faculty in last five years
What kind of changes have taken place in your institution/department over the last academic year?
Has your institution or department… Number Percentage
Yes No Yes No
(a) Changed policy for granting tenure to full-time faculty and instructional staff?
44 107 29.14% 70.86%
(b) Made the standards more stringent for granting tenure to full-time faculty and instructional staff?
37 115 24.34% 75.66%
(c) Reduced the number of tenured full-time faculty and instructional staff through downsizing?
33 119 21.71% 78.29%
(d) Replaced some tenured or tenure-track full-time faculty and instructional staff with full-time faculty and instructional staff on fixed term contracts?
38 113 25.17% 74.83%
(e) Discontinued tenure system at the institution?
0 152 0% 100.00%
(f) Offered early or phased retirement to any tenured full-time faculty or instructional staff?
78 72 52.00% 48.00%
Tenure Requirements
Does your department have general requirements/expectations for awarding tenure?
No Yes
2 Year School 100%
4 Year School 7% 93%
If your department is a JOINT department, are there different requirements or expectations for the different disciplines WITHIN the department?
Number Percentage
No 76 83.52%
Yes (please specify) 15 16.48%
Total 91 100.00%
Specific differences (“verbatims”) [Institution withheld] does not offer tenure, so these
questions do not apply. In the archaeology component of Anthropology, peer-
reviewed research reports/monographs (as opposed to journal articles) are given weight in evaluating scholarship.
Teaching assignment is higher for programs without a grad program. Research expectations vary among programs based on acceptable publication standards. Service requirement is higher in the social work program.
The work of applied colleagues is counted differently -- for example, site reports and museum exhibition catalogues can count as peer-reviewed publications.
Sort of. We have to explain the importance of monographs for cultural anthropologists and archaeologists.
Different expectations for scholarly achievement, established by each major.
We are now in process of developing these for each program.
Specific differences (“verbatims”) cont’d
They are similar but not identical in emphasis on research expectations.
The social work component, recently added, will have some slightly different requirements from those of the sociologists and Anthropologists, which are more or less identical.
General expectations are similar, but there are two T&P sets of more specific guidelines.
Some faculty hold joint appts, and they must satisfy requirements in each of their departments.
Differences in expectations on publication (more for Anthro than Social Work) and service (more for Social Work than Anthro).
Each discipline has their own requirements; they are specific to that discipline and developed by members of that discipline. We function pretty autonomously for a combo dept.
Sociology has a graduate program, Anthropology does not. So there are different expectations as a result.
Anthropologists not publishing from existing research are expected to seek funding for ethnographic research.
How specific are your department’s tenure requirements?
Administrative status
Free-Standing
DepartmentJoint Department Total
Somewhat general 44 21 65
31.43% 32.31% 31.71%
Somewhat specific 48 30 78
34.29% 46.15% 38.05%
Very general 24 4 28
17.14% 6.15% 13.66%
Very specific 14 7 21
10.00% 10.77% 10.24%
Did not answer 10 3 13
7.14% 4.62% 6.34%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=6.0516 DF = 4 Prob = 0.1953 Sample Size = 205
Who is responsible for developing these requirements/expectations (check all that apply)?*
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department Joint Department
Anthropology committee 65.00% 12.31%
Joint department committee 5.00% 44.62%
College-wide committee 41.43% 38.46%
Total Respondents 140 65
* Sum of percentages may be greater than 100% since respondents may answer more than once.
When are these requirements/expectations relayed to faculty preparing for tenure review (check all that apply)?*
* Sum of percentages may be greater than 100% since respondents may answer more than once.
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department Joint Department
Upon hiring 82.86% 89.23%
More than one-year prior to tenure review
52.14% 49.23%
At least one-year prior to applying for tenure
32.14% 29.23%
Total Respondents 140 65
How do faculty members learn about tenure expectations at your institution (select all that apply)?
Administrative status
Free-Standing
DepartmentJoint
Department
Guidelines are communicated to faculty in written format 76.43% 89.23%
Guidelines are communicated to faculty orally75.00% 76.92%
Guidelines are available on-line50.00% 52.31%
Guidelines are generally not provided0.71% .
Total Respondents 140 65
Does your department conduct a formal pre-tenure review for faculty to assess their progress towards tenure?
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
No 16 9 25
11.43% 13.85% 12.20%
Yes 124 55 179
88.57% 84.62% 87.32%
Did not answer 0 1 1
0% 2% 0%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=2.4462 DF = 2 Prob=0.2943 Sample Size = 205
* Sum of percentages may be greater than 100% since respondents may answer more than once.
Were any full-time faculty or instructional staff considered for tenure in the past three years (academic years 2005-06 to 2007-08)?
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
No 42 24 66
30.00% 36.92% 32.20%
Yes 98 41 139
70.00% 63.08% 67.80%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=0.9746 DF = 1 Prob=0.3235 Sample Size = 205
Have any department tenure recommendations been reversed by an entity external to the department (Dean, College Committee, University Committee, Provost, other)?
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
No 114 54 168
82.61% 83.08% 82.76%
Yes 24 11 35
17.39% 16.92% 17.24%
Total 138 65 203
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=0.0068, DF = 1, Prob=0.9343, Effective Sample Size = 203, Frequency Missing = 2
Rating of importance for tenure: Research, publication and other scholarly/scientific production)
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
Moderately important 1 1 2
0.71% 1.54% 0.98%
Not important 1 1 2
0.71% 1.54% 0.98%
Somewhat important 9 7 16
6.43% 10.77% 7.80%
Very important 87 26 113
62.14% 40.00% 55.12%
Did not answer 42 30 72
30.00% 46.15% 35.12%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=8.9363 DF = 4 Prob = 0.0627 Sample Size = 205
Rating of importance for tenure: Service
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
Moderately important 42 10 52
30.00% 15.38% 25.37%
Not important 12 2 14
8.57% 3.08% 6.83%
Somewhat important 35 17 52
25.00% 26.15% 25.37%
Very important 9 6 15
6.43% 9.23% 7.32%
Did not answer 42 30 72
30.00% 46.15% 35.12%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=9.4982 DF = 4 Prob = 0.0498 Sample Size = 205
Rating of importance for tenure: Teaching
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
Moderately important
8 2 10
5.71% 3.08% 4.88%
Somewhat important
34 4 38
24.29% 6.15% 18.54%
Very important 56 29 85
40.00% 44.62% 41.46%
Did not answer 42 30 72
30.00% 46.15% 35.12%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square=12.0321 DF = 3 Prob =0.0073 Sample Size =205
Ranking Research, Service & Teaching in terms of importance
Among respondents in free-standing departments
74% said Research is 1st important 60% said Teaching is 2nd important 77% said Service is 3rd important
Among respondents in joint departments
36% said Research is 1st important 31% said Teaching is 2nd important 64% said Service is 3rd important
Weighted importance ratings of alternative scholarly contributions*
2.38
3.96
4.41
4.88
5.17
6.29
6.45
6.63
7.37
8.47
Newsletter
Video or film production
Paper presented at scholarly conferences
Other scholarly production
Editorship of a journal
Editorship of a book
Grant proposals
Contribution to an edited volume
Monographs
Peer reviewed journal articles
* Very important = 9, Somewhat important = 6, Moderately important = 3, Not important = 1.
Weighted importance ratings of alternative types of service*
* Very important = 9, Somewhat important = 6, Moderately important = 3, Not important = 1.
Weighted importance ratings of alternative teaching metrics*
* Very important = 9, Somewhat important = 6, Moderately important = 3, Not important = 1.
Journal Rankings
Thinking about publishing in Journals, does your department have defined "rankings" or values for publications?
Administrative status
Free-Standing Department
Joint Department Total
No 106 54 160
75.71% 83.08% 78.05%
Yes 34 11 45
24.29% 16.92% 21.95%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square = 1.4045, DF = 1, Prob = 0.2360, Sample Size = 205
Are the journal rankings available?
Frequency Administrative status
PercentFree-Standing
DepartmentJoint Department Total
No 120 58 178
85.71% 89.23% 86.83%
Yes 20 7 27
14.29% 10.77% 13.17%
Total 140 65 205
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chi-Square = 0.4800, DF = 1, Prob = 0.4884, Sample Size = 205
Journal Rankings
Fin
Questions or comments?