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Higher Ed 101: Tenure Explained
Tenure is a defining feature of U.S. higher education, but these days the practice is in decline and under attack by critics. On this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with Jacques Berlinerblau, a Georgetown University professor who has written extensively about the tenure system, for an explainer on its colorful origins as well as a look at the dramatic changes that seem to be coming. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
2:50 - The Colorful History of Tenure
8:14 - A Distinctly American System
9:14 - How Tenure Works
13:26 - What Is the Legal Nature of Tenure?
14:46 - Which Types of Colleges Use Tenure?
16:19 - Is Tenure Different in Different Disciplines?
18:52 - How Difficult Is It For Colleges to Dismiss a Tenured Faculty Member?
20:40 - Can Tenured Departments Be Eliminated for Lack of Student Demand?
22:57 - Complaints Against the Tenure System
24:43 - A Turning Point in the 1990s
31:43 - A Renewed Campaign to Erode Tenure
34:31 - How Professors Are Partly to Blame for Tenure’s Woes
37:33 - Will Only Elite Universities Keep Tenure?
38:49 - Are Younger Faculty As Excited About Tenure?
41:48 - What Can Professors Do in the Face of Tenure’s Erosion?
Relevant Links:
“1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure,” and a history of the American Association of University Professors.
“1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure,” from the American Association of University Professors.
"Professors Lay Dying: Selecting a College Amidst an Educational Crisis," by Jacques Berlinerblau
“They’ve Been Scheming to Cut Tenure for Years. It’s Happening,” by Jacques Berlinerblau in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines,” by David Pepper.
“The War on Tenure,” by Deepa Das Acevedo
Connect with Michael Horn:
Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter
Website
X (Twitter)
Threads
Connect with Jeff Selingo:
Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You
Sign Up for the Next Newsletter
Website
X (Twitter)
Threads
Connect with Future U:
YouTube
Threads
Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!
Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.
View all episodes
By Jeff Selingo, Michael Horn
4.7
135135 ratings
Tenure is a defining feature of U.S. higher education, but these days the practice is in decline and under attack by critics. On this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with Jacques Berlinerblau, a Georgetown University professor who has written extensively about the tenure system, for an explainer on its colorful origins as well as a look at the dramatic changes that seem to be coming. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
2:50 - The Colorful History of Tenure
8:14 - A Distinctly American System
9:14 - How Tenure Works
13:26 - What Is the Legal Nature of Tenure?
14:46 - Which Types of Colleges Use Tenure?
16:19 - Is Tenure Different in Different Disciplines?
18:52 - How Difficult Is It For Colleges to Dismiss a Tenured Faculty Member?
20:40 - Can Tenured Departments Be Eliminated for Lack of Student Demand?
22:57 - Complaints Against the Tenure System
24:43 - A Turning Point in the 1990s
31:43 - A Renewed Campaign to Erode Tenure
34:31 - How Professors Are Partly to Blame for Tenure’s Woes
37:33 - Will Only Elite Universities Keep Tenure?
38:49 - Are Younger Faculty As Excited About Tenure?
41:48 - What Can Professors Do in the Face of Tenure’s Erosion?
Relevant Links:
“1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure,” and a history of the American Association of University Professors.
“1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure,” from the American Association of University Professors.
"Professors Lay Dying: Selecting a College Amidst an Educational Crisis," by Jacques Berlinerblau
“They’ve Been Scheming to Cut Tenure for Years. It’s Happening,” by Jacques Berlinerblau in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines,” by David Pepper.
“The War on Tenure,” by Deepa Das Acevedo
Connect with Michael Horn:
Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter
Website
X (Twitter)
Threads
Connect with Jeff Selingo:
Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You
Sign Up for the Next Newsletter
Website
X (Twitter)
Threads
Connect with Future U:
YouTube
Threads
Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!
Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.
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