In the higher education academic landscape, one of the most important goals for everyone is tenure. You’ll hear this term discussed frequently as the ultimate status in job security, as the average faculty member is hired on an annual or short-term contractual basis.

Tenured faculty eliminate the yearly concern of whether they’ll return to the same institution the next school year. Tenure grants them employment for an extended time, frequently through retirement. With such an important distinction, it’s no wonder that so many employed academics in the higher-ed realm focus on meeting tenure goals consistently. Your tenure review is how you know whether you’re on track, and what you need to adjust in your professional life to get there.

What Does a Tenure Review Include?

The vital evaluation process of a tenure review is performed with the aim of determining if you have the high standards necessary for academic tenure. Since this status means it can be nearly impossible to be dismissed from a teaching position, it’s understandable that only the cream of the crop in academic standing is awarded tenure.

In higher education, tenure is important because it awards the instructor academic freedom. They are able to hold controversial opinions that may be unpopular but serve to drive the institution forward.

Your tenure review will be a comprehensive evaluation of multiple performance indicators. You’ll have evaluations from students and other faculty members. Your publishing credits and accomplishments will be dissected and analyzed, and your reputation and area of expertise will be questioned. The entire process is balanced with the intention of creating a whole picture of your abilities. One of those skills is organization, and this will help you prepare for your review.

Tips to Prepare for Your Review

A few things to keep in mind as you prepare for tenure track:

1. It’s never too early to get started. If tenure is your ultimate goal, you can start as early as your time as a student in professional education. Talk to mentors about what tenure means, how they’re working toward it, and what you can expect. This will help you to prepare early, compile documentation, and organize your records.
2. Remember, the requirements vary by department and university. Focusing on the tenure track will help you no matter which higher education institution you’re in, but even the best-laid plans aren’t always enough for some universities. What may grant you tenure in one place isn’t going to be enough in another. Keep your department and university tenure requirements updated if you change positions.
3. Organization is essential. No matter where you go, you can still use your organization techniques if they’re set up right initially. Once you have everything in place, it will be easy to track down the necessary materials and documentation and shift them around according to the submission requirements when it’s time to apply for tenure.
4. Request reviews when possible. The final external case reviewers aren’t up to you, but you can ask for review letters throughout your career path. Your tenure reviewers can’t be any previous mentors, collaborators, or professors, so requesting letters from these people for your file can help you build a better case for your tenure.
5. Keep your CV updated. Your reviewer’s file will include data and computer-generated info on you. What it doesn’t cover is your acts of service, guest teaching records, community work, and other outside information. It’s up to you to add those to your CV as they’re completed.
6. Don’t wait until the last minute to fill out forms. Since you already know your goal, why not figure out what forms are necessary as soon as possible? You can’t do this too soon because those forms will likely change each year. But if it’s your tenure review year, get started right away.

Use Impactio to Streamline Your Tenure Track

Another way to increase your chances of tenure is to use Impactio to demonstrate your achievements. Impactio’s advanced analytics tools put your published work’s influence in visual terms for your reviewer to see at a glance. Use the network connections you’ve made with your Impactio profile to add collaboration, research, and other accomplishments to your CV, and put yourself squarely on the tenure track!