Expectations of Tenure Track Faculty

Permanent faculty position gained after successful completion of probationary period is called tenure. While a faculty member in the probationary period is said to be in a tenure track position. Research finds that tenure track positions are highly paid especially in case of law, business, and engineering fields. However, tenure track positions are demanding in terms expectations regarding teaching loads, research publications and other scholarly activities. Research finds that these expectations cause stress among faculty and that this stress has been more prominent among faculty of color.

Research shows that institutions of higher education often require faculty on tenure track positions to give their inputs in administrative activities in addition to research and teaching loads. Many institutions of higher education require faculty on tenure track positions to show efficiency and productivity in terms of producing publishable research work, earning research grants as well as bringing about the best in terms of teaching and learning out of their class room. These expectations in parallel to each other overburden the faculty members, which in some cases has been found to lower the efficiency of the faculty.

Despite the higher expectations and demanding nature of tenure and tenure track positions, many contingent faculty has been found to be aspiring for appointment as tenure track positions. Research reports show that these aspirations are directed by the job security and permanent employment nature of the tenure track positions. Moreover, the contingent faculty realizes the importance of the tenure track positions in terms of better developmental opportunities available to tenure track positions. Hence it is suggested that either the contingent faculty may be provided job security or should be converted into tenure track positions based on their performances.