Academic Tenure: Its Recipients and Its Effects

A great deal has been written about the pros and cons of academic tenure but little systematic research has been done on the subject. Through an examination of the dossiers—vitae, letters of recommendation, and written assessments—of 115 individuals awarded tenure in 1967 and 1968, this paper attempts to shed some light on the characteristics of those awarded tenure and on its effects. There are large gaps in what writers know about candidates. Still, candidates are portrayed in the most favorable light. Because hard and fast criteria are not applied, the process for awarding tenure seems to be less stringent than evaluation for promotion to Full Professor. It would appear that since tenure does not primarily work either to reduce the intellectual activity of faculty or to protect the idiosyncratic or dissenting scholar, its central function is to insure minimal performance standards and compatibility.