Success on the Tenure Track: Five Keys to Faculty Job Satisfaction

1. Introduction

* Introduction * Cathy Ann Trower Purpose This book describes the elements of the workplace that pre-tenure faculty say are most critical to their satisfaction and success (discussed in chapters 3–6), provides quantitative data about faculty satisfaction and dissatisfaction with those factors, and showcases the policies and practices at seven public research universities that are exemplary in one or more category. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) has collected data on the job satisfaction of over 15,000 pre-tenure faculty members at more than 200 four-year colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The COACHE staff, of which I am a member, interviewed faculty members and administrators at seven “exemplary” COACHE public institutions, detailed in chapter 2. We were most interested in learning what makes these institutions great places to work by uncovering the policies and practices to which they attribute their success. What specific policies and practices are in place at these exemplary public research universities? What is the faculty experience like at these great places to work? What explains high levels of faculty satisfaction? What norms or activities help ensure faculty satisfaction? How might other institutions use this information to attract and retain early career faculty? Armed with quantitative and qualitative data, we now have a deeper understanding of institutional culture and campus climate as they relate to the recruitment, development, and retention of tenure-track faculty. We can substantiate a connection between action (policy and practice) and COACHE survey results; thus, we can recommend effective policies and practices to help institutions recruit, retain, and develop top early career academics,Page 2 manage generational differences, and ultimately maintain a satisfied and productive faculty workforce. The book is organized around the themes most important to the satisfaction and success of probationary faculty. For each theme, I define what junior faculty want, provide quantitative data about the experiences of pre-tenure faculty, and showcase exceptional practices through vignettes about specific universities. What Is Covered in This Book, What Is Not Covered, and Why Full-time, tenure-track faculty at four-year universities in the United States in 2007 included approximately 106,000 men and women. When conceptualizing this book, I initially considered writing separate chapters on women^^1 and faculty of color,^^2 or one that encompassed women and minority faculty,^^3 but decided against it because I wanted to keep the focus on all the ways that pre-tenure faculty are alike rather than how they are different. Our research has shown that what is good for women is good for men, and what is good for faculty of color is good for white faculty. This is not to say that programs targeting, for example, women in science^^4 or African Americans at Historically White Institutions are not important; it is simply not my focus here. The exemplary universities we visited received high marks in one or more of the categories that COACHE measures (e.g., tenure clarity, support for teaching and research, work-life balance, and climate) and were not exemplary only for women or men or only whites or faculty of color; they were exemplary for all. This book is not about the growing population of part-time and non-tenure-track faculty^^5 (data provided later in this chapter)—again, not because they are not important but, in this case, because those faculty have not yet been studied by COACHE. In chapter 2, I discuss the methodology behind the COACHE survey of pre-tenure faculty satisfaction, which yields rich data about the academic workplace and life on the tenure track. We know which institutions are rated the highest in key areas by the faculty who work there. The public universities showcased in this book include Auburn University; North Carolina State University; Ohio State University; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;Page 3 University of Iowa; University of Kansas; and University of North Carolina at Pembroke. We interviewed a total of 104 faculty and administrators about why they think their institution scored well and learned what makes each institution a great place for junior faculty to work. In chapter 3, I address one of the most critical components of faculty work life: tenure. When it comes to tenure, junior faculty are most interested in clarity of standards, process, and criteria; in transparency, consistency, and equity; and in reasonable expectations for achieving it. This is a lot to ask for, especially as tradition has allowed the tenure process to be...