The Internet is a beautifully stocked library. All sorts of information can be found, albeit of varying quality: peer-reviewed publications, public records, images of cats with Hitleresque mustaches. If Google has its way, the contents of every book in the world will soon be found on its site. Nevertheless, for the intrepid researcher there remains one subject that is poorly represented in books and on the Internet: the fate of professors who are denied tenure.
Four years ago, that was a topic of great interest to me as I was in the process of being denied tenure. I wanted to find reports on outcomes, like the percentage of professors who found new positions after being denied tenure, broken down by institution type and discipline. Lacking such data, I at least wanted to read some personalized accounts to sort through my feelings. They were equally scant, and the ones I found were clearly a nonrandom subsample representing the most bitter former professors.
In a small gesture to rectify that situation, I wrote four columns during my search for a new position after my unexpected ouster. (To read them, see: "No Warning Signs," "A Way Out of This Mess," "Reviving My Career," and "A Fresh Start.") In brief, the series ended with my move from a private religious university in my wife's hometown to a state university in my hometown, with a shortened tenure clock.
Here, I'd like to report on life a few years beyond tenure denial, and how it has affected me personally and professionally.
I look on tenure denial as an unearned blessing that delivered me from a font of disappointment. I now realize that I was always capable of moving to a better academic position and even to a better city. But I had not seriously considered moving because I was so focused on doing well where I was rooted, and I wanted to maintain stability for my family, and especially for my wife's career.
It's still mostly a mystery to me why I was denied tenure. Hindsight has not blessed me with many new insights on that front. One certainty is that my dean adeptly choreographed the event, unbeknownst to me until the curtain had already fallen.
I didn't see it coming, nor did any of my departmental colleages—to my knowledge. Last year I learned some of the details at a wedding reception from an alcohol-addled former colleague who was preparing to retire. She was privy to some confidential deliberations about my file. I heard a bit more about how the dean shifted the decision on my case against the will of my department. I was outgunned and outmaneuvered.
Apparently he had plotted my demise in advance. The extent of his machinations seemed more personal than professional. My best guess is that, two years earlier, he was soured against me when I used a little-known campus policy to request paid family leave after the birth of my son. Or perhaps it was that time when the parent of a particularly petulant student from a philanthropic family complainted to the dean after I refused to alter the student's grade. Perhaps it was both. Who knows?
The most painful part of the tenure process was the lack of transparency. All kinds of information—and disinformation—were inserted into my file after I had prepared it. I wasn't even notified about the new content, much less allowed access to it. I only received hearsay.
After I was denied tenure, I didn't believe my friends and colleagues when they tried to reassure me that things would turn out fine. I could not imagine a scenario in which my professional and personal life would be improved. I am blessed to say that I was mistaken. For those of you who are staring into the prospect of tenure denial at this time, and are seeking some solace, please compare this column with the ones I wrote while I was being denied tenure.
At this moment, I am up for tenure again. I will receive notice in the next few months. My colleagues are as confident about a positive outcome as my former colleagues were last time. I can't control the decision, but I think this situation is different from my last attempt in a few important ways. Faculty members at my new institution are reviewed on an annual basis, and the tenure process is fairly transparent. Faculty members are represented by a union that robustly protects against procedural violations. My peers and supervisors have little choice but to be honest about my work from Day 1.
The funny business that happened when I was denied tenure does not seem like it could happen at my new university. People are denied tenure here, but those denials actually stand up to some level of reason. The funny stuff that went on with my case last time—starting with the dean and up to the president—would never be tolerated here.
It might sound like I'm still on the rebound after getting dumped. But now that I'm into my third year in this job, I am well acquainted with its drawbacks. Still, my new university is a much better fit for my values and priorities. The students I serve are mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds, they are hungry to work and learn, and they possess not an iota of entitlement. I deeply enjoy teaching, and I would like to teach while pursuing an aggressive research agenda.
While many universities claim to value both teaching and research, I've decided that most of those places are either lying or fooling themselves. In my current job, my efforts to grow as a teacher have been as well supported as my research agenda. Both aspects are undersupported, on account of poor resources, but the environment is uniformly positive. I am glad to be away from colleagues who feel that genuine research distracts from teaching.
I didn't accept my current job because it was a peach. I ultimately had a couple choices, but I took this job because the university was willing to take a chance on me, and I wanted to stay in my favorite part of the country. A big reason I took it is because my wife—whose career is even less portable than that of a tenure-track scientist—got a great job here.
Let me compare my new job to my old job. I'm still a medium-sized fish in a small pond. But before I was a slimy hagfish, and now I'm a pretty koi.
I have slightly better pay, much better benefits, a lower teaching load, and more genial and truly supportive colleagues. I have increased the quality and quantity of my research program, thanks to administrators who have been actively encouraging me. That is a welcome shift from having colleagues who were falsely convinced that my research harmed my teaching.
I now work at a public university whose mission is to teach anybody who wishes to learn, and to serve the underserved. I'm teaching mostly the same way I have been for the last 10 years, but I've never felt so appreciated. I've never had so many students tell me that I've changed or made a difference in their lives. Their demeanor is refreshingly free of entitlement, compared with students at the expensive and nonselective private institution where I used to teach.
There is one downside to my move: a much longer commute. But it's been three years since we moved here, and I love it. The city has more to offer, there is much better access to nature, and I'm fitting into my community far better than I ever did at my old job. I made some lasting friendships in my old town, but I never felt as if I belonged. Now I belong.
When I was preparing for my first major review in my new job, I went to read my student evaluations and personnel records on file at the administrative building. My department clearly put more effort into evaluating my teaching as a job applicant than my old department did throughout the five years before I came up for tenure.
It was particularly touching to read a letter from the dean to the provost recommending my hire. I had no illusion that the administration would rubberstamp the decision to hire a faculty member who had been denied tenure by a university that rarely does so. I was acknowledged as a hiring risk, but the dean said, the potential benefits would be great given the strength of my teaching experience and research programs.
The upshot is that I am not more enlightened because I survived tenure denial. But a few years later, I happen to find myself happier, more satisfied with my research and my teaching, and more receptive to compassion.
Comments
1. rchill - February 03, 2010 at 07:20 am
How do you know material was inserted into your file at your previous job? How do you know your former colleague was telling the truth? She may not like your former dean and it is her perception and bias that she dished out to you. It sounds as though your previous position was not a good fit and that might have negatively impacted your performance (and you might have been completely unaware of this). Seems best to just let it go and be happy, as you appear to be, where you have been replanted!
2. vincenttompkins - February 03, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I believe that he has let it go. I feel that he wrote this article to give hope to those that was denied tenure.
3. usc158 - February 03, 2010 at 12:33 pm
I confess that I enter this story during this last chapter, and have not read the previous four essays regarding Mr. "Ellenbogen's" tenure-denial ordeal. But I can only imagine how he portrayed the situation considering his obviously still smoldering anger. I also can't imagine even an average, non-academic being unable to read between the lines of this final installment.
He states clearly, his belief that his tenure was sabotaged by the dean, and places no blame on his department colleagues. In fact he states they supported him for tenure, and the dean went against their wishes. Yet just a few sentences later, whilst explaining how happy he is at his new place of employment, he disparages both the town in which he had lived, and more importantly, the very colleagues he claims supported him.
To wit, he states: "I am glad to be away from colleagues who feel that genuine research distracts from teaching;" and then "I'm fitting into my community far better than I ever did at my old job;" and then "That is a welcome shift from having colleagues who were falsely convinced that my research harmed my teaching."
It is clear that Mr. "E" was not happy at the previous institution. Is it possible that his "not fitting in" to the community was observed by others at his college? Is it possible that his former colleagues were tired of his "my way is better than yours" attitude, which would be quite difficult to mask over a five year period?
Sounds to me like Mr. "E's" dean did his college and the department a big favor by giving this guy the boot.
4. zuzu_ - February 03, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Please Mr. E. We call them "Kitlers".
5. alliewebcat - February 04, 2010 at 09:22 am
Mr. E, Thank you for sharing your story. I did take the time to read each of your essays before posting. I have also read the responses - tough audience and zuzu's comment "We call them 'kitlers' strikes me as some code word that only those granted tenure understand. Your position might not have been a good "fit" and you reflected well on that. Your colleagues made a recommendation for tenure, but then failed to support it. In the end, they protected their position and future opportunites. Congratulations on your new position and best wishes.
6. oldassocprof - February 04, 2010 at 10:35 am
I'm with Ellenbogen. I was denied reappointment when I had published two articles that year, had two in press, and had a book in press. Eleven of my 12 teaching evals were superior. My chair there was a plagiarist and wanted to "co-write" with me without doing any writing. I might have permitted this, but he was insulting as well. Tenured and promoted after three years here at my new place.
7. nsqnp - February 04, 2010 at 10:39 am
People who got tenure don't like it when someone who was denied tenure says the process wasn't fair. Because questioning that process puts into question their own tenure.
Most people who got tenure deserve it, and most people who don't didn't deserve it (according to the criteria of their university). But it is also true that some people get tenure with no clear reason why and some people don't because they were not liked by someone in a position of power. And it is also true that if you teach in one a private university (especially one populated by small fish in the pond) it is more likely that this happens than if you teach in a public university. In a small private liberal arts or religious universities, you can get denied by the most abusurd reason and you have nowhere to go for help. You are at their mercy. And, yes, the reason can be absurd because the criteria for tenure are totally vague. In a public university everything is on the book and needs to go by the book because if some irregularity happens you can sue them or go to your union. And I think this is good.
Do not read between the lines: I was also denied tenure and felt exactly like "Peter". When I was in the other university I thought things were not too good there, but I thought "that must be academia". People lived in fear in an unhealthy way, junior faculty were supposed to "pay their dues" before they could enjoy the advantages that only senior faculty enjoyed... Crazy.
But now that I am in a great (public) university where my colleagues and administrators really support me, where people don't have a personal agenda because all agendas must be open and transparent... now I realize how rotten the other place was. I am not sour, on the contrary, everytime I go to work I ask to myself: "Am I really here? Is this for real?" My new colleagues can benefit from the fact that I don't take all the good things they have for granted as someone that has only known this.
When I was mad (and scared) because I lost my job some people told me: "Well, maybe you weren't a good fit". Sure, I wasn't. And if you are a good fit in a rotten place, shame on you.
Still, I know the colleagues who stayed and got tenure deserved it (even though I never saw any criteria for tenure other than "be great"). But I also know that I deserved it because I was as "great" as them. That's all.
But even though I am happy I found a great place, it is not fair that these things happen to people who start teaching at those places with enthusiasm (and families and bills to pay) and do great work everyday and they are later dismissed ... just because. I am happy I got out but still this should not have happened and it is not right that it can happen.
No, the "just be happy" or "you were not a good fit" just don't cut it.
8. aleader - February 04, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Not sure why the above post would question this story, unless s/he is the dean in question. These things do happen, as they did to me, but unlike the original story, at a public university that claims to serve the underserved. The fact that my denial was based on nothing but animus on the part of the chair and program director was confirmed by the large cash settlement offered to me to drop my tenure appeal. If only the voters knew where their tax dollars went. The icing on the cake is that the dean and president who went along with my former chair are now at another institution. Still angry? You bet. Blessed to be out of there? Even more so. Since my tenure denial I had a semester of paid leave from the offending institution; a research fellowship; and now a new job at a school where I am both appreciated and treated well.
9. grabbe - February 04, 2010 at 01:38 pm
I have to disagree with this:
"People who got tenure don't like it when someone who was denied tenure says the process wasn't fair."
I've got tenure and am an admininistrator currently helping a junior colleague through the process, and I'll say all day long the process isn't fair. It boils down to this: if they like you, they'll find a way to keep you no matter what, and if they don't, you're not safe even if you have the Nobel prize and an award from God based on your stellar teaching. What constitutes "tenurable" in the categories of research, teaching, and service is just murky enough that institutions can find a way to buck up candidates they like and tear down those they don't. It's refreshing to know that those who don't get a fair shake can at least get a second chance.
10. timebandit - February 04, 2010 at 02:09 pm
hagfish vs. koi. ha!
11. rambo - February 04, 2010 at 02:15 pm
there should be research on how many people were denied tenure and whether white straight men and conservative Republicans will be at the top of the list....
12. scientistmom - February 04, 2010 at 06:27 pm
As someone coming up for tenure, I found the entire series to be interesting. I have seen three colleagues (here and at other top institutions) denied tenure in the past two years. In one case, anyone could have predicted the person wouldn't get tenure. In the other two, they were slam dunks that were stopped by individuals higher up the chain. Both have actionable cases against their institutions.
I am at a great place and everything is transparent, but I am frightened because everyone tells me it all comes down to the outside letters. I believe I have done what I should for tenure, but I won't know until the process is over. Regardless, it is great to hear the author and commenters say that their second chances following beign denied tenure have actually been better than they ever would have thought.
13. markarv - February 04, 2010 at 07:04 pm
I wanted to ask about one of the questions the author posed early on in his article: Did you ever find statistical help answering questions like "what portion of tenure denials eventually end up in tenure-track jobs again?"
That is a fascinating question.
14. alliewebcat - February 04, 2010 at 08:34 pm
It is interesting to consider the nature of decision-making in academia. Should an individual (for example, Dean or VP) reverse decision of department and college committees? If a Chair recommends tenure, what responsibility does he or she have in promoting the candidate for tenure? What responsibility do the members of a department or college committee that recommends tenure have in the process?
15. jtallmadge - February 05, 2010 at 11:23 am
This is a wonderful and heartfelt account. Peter is right that there seems to have been very little research done on those who are denied tenure. Perhaps the subject makes people feel too uncomfortable. And while we know that some lucky souls, like Peter, manage to find other academic jobs as teachers or administrators, we know next to nothing about those who leave the profession altogether.
Mark Long and I would welcome any information or stories along these lines for our blog about leading a balanced life in academia (www.onstayingalive.wordpress.com). As for my own story about being denied tenure, it's available online at http://www.asle.org/site/publications/graduate-handbook/tree/.
16. stillaprof - February 05, 2010 at 07:56 pm
I'm glad that Prof. Ellenbogen was able to move on to a better place, and wish him well. It's important to stand up for oneself and either challenge the decision or move on with confidence. My guess is that because of the economy/job market more academics will be challenging negative decisions in court/via arbitration and forcing the institution's hand. This is a good thing.
17. pete5736 - February 07, 2010 at 02:05 pm
I found certain chapters in these book provided perspective when I was looking to move onwards after a tenure denial (in mid-90s):
Goetting, A. and S. Fenstermaker, Eds. (1995). Individual Voices, Collective Visions: Fifty Years of Women in Sociology. Philadelphia, Temple University Press.
Oppenheimer, M., M. J. Murray, et al., Eds. (1991). Radical Sociologists and the Movement: Experiences, Lessons, and Legacies. Philadelphia, Temple University Press.
Orlans, K. P. M. and R. A.Wallace, Eds. (1994). Gender and the Academic Experience: Berkeley Women Sociologists. Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press.
18. beveridge - February 08, 2010 at 05:25 am
Testing
19. emduggan - February 08, 2010 at 09:31 am
The idea of tenure continues to perplex me. Was it not developed in Europe to protect instructors in sharing open concepts that might not be readily accepted in society? Do we need that protection today? Does it enhance the learning for the students, who are the customers?
After a healthy career in business and seven years in higher education, dean to instructor, and achieving a doctorate in educational leadership; why faculty are not reviewed annually as most employees.
Denied tenure, denied promotions, lay-offs, all drive people to better places. As an executive I have had to release many employees none of which end up on the street, and most navigate to a better fit. It is part of the process. This is what I teach my MBA students in particular.
Are students better served by faculty that have been "locked in" to a program, or a rotation of faculty exposed to various institutions? I am not sure that carrying on as we always have in education 'leads' to what students and society will need in the future.
20. nmaihle - February 08, 2010 at 10:10 am
testing #2
21. translogistique - February 14, 2010 at 07:36 am
One of the inconvenient truth is tenure track that is also creeping into higher-ed folks in GCC States. I see from the article and responses that is full of mine that can blow up a career - mine is business logistics and operations.
22. sakoglu - February 14, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Thanks for sharing the experience...
23. malcolmx - February 15, 2010 at 08:45 am
As a former dean, we did the same kind of things on my campus, conspired to get rid of people we did not like. We stacked the deck against them, even altering their evaluations or losing their tenure and promotion records. A faculty member in a department even called the Department of Homeland Security on a candidate up for tenure, just to add more pressure on him. Higher education at the upper levels is completely corrupt. You have political clout you get tenured. Most professors do not understand how to play the political game. Play it until you get tenured, keep your mouth shut, do what they tell you, after tenure tell them to kiss where the sun do not shine.
24. 11134193 - February 15, 2010 at 10:08 am
4193 - tenured!
The heading above the title of the article was "Manage Your Career." And, after reading the story that might have been titled "dumped and reborn - the story of Peter Ellenbogen, (followed by a number of responder comments), I firmly believe that non-tenured faculty should keep themselves employment fit! These were the areas that went through my mind as advice for the non-tenured: Living quarters should be rented and a lot of stuff (furnishings, cars, costly-to-move belongings) should not be acquired. The fiance or spouse should have a transferable job. The couple should preserve their financial resources, keeping reserves for attending conferences and professional conventions where possible job contacts can be made on a cumulative basis, papers in the field should be generated on a regular basis, and the non-tenured should keep his/her image squeaky clean. Professionals need to recognize the many pitfalls in association with fellow faculty members, among which may be envy, greed, competition and other situations that could taint the reputation of the non-tenured. This person consider him/herself as a "candidate" and should be net-working from day #1 on-the-the-job, keeping in mind that it is possible to be dumped, but more importantly, thst there may be significantly better appointments out there for a ready candidate. Managing your career suggests to me that a faculty member should not wait in fear, wondering what will happen regarding tenure. The ready-prof should be in search of promotion, advancement, better remuneration, improved environment, challenge and academic adventure. And that, my fearless colleagues is how you MANAGE YOUR CAREER.
25. professor13 - February 20, 2010 at 12:04 am
malcolmx, your post made my day!
"As a former dean, we did the same kind of things on my campus, conspired to get rid of people we did not like. We stacked the deck against them, even altering their evaluations or losing their tenure and promotion records. A faculty member in a department even called the Department of Homeland Security on a candidate up for tenure, just to add more pressure on him. Higher education at the upper levels is completely corrupt. You have political clout you get tenured. Most professors do not understand how to play the political game. Play it until you get tenured, keep your mouth shut, do what they tell you, after tenure tell them to kiss where the sun do not shine."