mixed feelings

[cornerofmadness]

I had my performance review. It went well but I already knew that it would. That wasn't concerning me at all. What I needed to know and I still only half know is, will my first three non-tenure years count towards my tenure.

The answer is I could petition the tenure committee to let me go before them now counting them making this my fourth and tenure review year. Um...problems? I didn't think those years would count (since that's what I was told) and it has to be done by Mid-November...Now I DO have all my reviews and a letter or two from a student and if I ride them, I could get faculty recs that fast.

The problem is, because I was told they probably wouldn't count, other faculty were put in charge of things that 'look good in the faculty portfolio' and I was to wait my turn in my department. now i have done a few things but not enough to be impressive even if I could work up treatments on all of that in time.

I need to talk to the tenure committee. It might be possible to get an extension taking it to Nov 2009. That would be much better all the way around. (especially if I do plan on trying to leave. Leaving tenure always looks a bit...odd). If I don't do this now, I can't go before the tenure board until my fourth year on THIS track in 2012. Bangs head on wall.


the good news is this is the first day I haven't been utterly exhausted all week. Guess the iron pills are working. (dumb ass, i forgot to buy more)

Tried to breed more dragons. They bred but no eggs...I think Roy and Riza (trying to get that gold egg) was SAD because out of their four babies only mine survived.




And it was a great breeding season with some fun eggs

These two got kept because their parents are couples from my own original fiction





And finally my silver bred true. WHoo Hoo

Comments

[makd.livejournal.com]

First, let me apologize for not stopping by sooner. I've been up to my .... lower back in work.

Second, your college should have a manual of procedures and policies that relate to faculty governance. Within that manual should be a precise and clear procedure of the tenure process, including such issues as time, publications/presentations, prior credit for teaching elsewhere, etc. Get yourself a copy of that manual and read it through - stat!

Once you've done that, you'll know who to see and how soon you have to get your tenure package together.

(Which reminds me: I am the chair of the tenure committee for our department and I have to call a meeting for the review of our junior faculty....)

Good luck with this; it's worth the time to dig out the dirt and plant the seedlings.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

nope my situation is NOT covered in that book. We spent an hour looking. We called HR and they said what i wrote above. Um maybe you can ask the tenure committee

ETA - the normal stuff is covered and all but what isn't covered is MY status. It only covers fulltime tenure track faculty which i wasn't and part time faculty. It gives zero credit for teaching elsewhere and my status as a three year non-tenure is NOT covered anywhere. it's so stupid.

[makd.livejournal.com]

Okay: Got it.

Your next move should be to speak with the president of the college, apprising him/her of your situation, and requesting that you be granted "credit for prior service". If granted, it would hasten the process toward tenure.

Sometimes, college presidents will award credit for prior service, sometimes not. Discrimination in such situations is never easy to verify, so it remains an "iffy" action. However, if granted, it would solve your situation, IMO.

At the same time, find out if the other faculty - those who were hired at the same time as you - were also hired on non-tenure leading lines. If they were hired at the same status (non-tenure leading), and were given advantages toward tenure, you may have grounds for discrimination. (One of my colleagues was in this situation way back in '78, filed and won nearly automatic tenure.)

One of the constants of institutionalized sexism in academia is the hiring of female (and other minority) faculty at non-tenure leading status, then dragging the college's collective feet in moving them forward to tenure.

Back in 1975, I filed a grievance/intent class action to litigate with the college, based on the whole non-tenure leading position. Fortunately, I could provide evidence of intent "to harm", and my status (as well as the status of others at the college as well as the state-wide system) changed forever. From that point on, SUNY's had a cap on the number of years they can employ a faculty member in the non-tenure leading status (2 years). According to the 1975 agreement, after two years, each college in the system has to either let the faculty member go or morph the line over to tenure-leading status. AFAIK, that arbitration decision is still in place. Perhaps your college/state has such a ruling.

Good luck.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

nods, they suggested starting with the tenure committee for permission first then moving on to the president. Probably they would grant it to me in a normal year but we are bankrupt. I'm surprised i wasn't fired last year when my contract ended.

and wow...and I believe it.I had to do similar things with medical companies back when i practiced (or at least threaten it and got my way before any costly lawsuits coiuld be filed.

best part of this all? I just applied for another job elswhere
thanks for the advice I appreciate it

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the tenure stuff, and I'm glad you're feeling better :)

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

apparently that was premature. I slept 8 hour and I could sleep that over again

and thanks

[mulzrule.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the tenure and the job. You had to get recommendations from students too? That's a new one.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

well we need to keep thank yous etc from students so yeah.

thanks

[ishte.livejournal.com]

I don't really understand the concept of Tenure. I thought that it was abolished.... or something... though I didn't understand what it meant anyway. Maybe it was abolished in high schools? or something? Can you explain what this means and how it effects you?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

some places have gotten rid of it. What it is, is job security. consider it a higher rank. You've proven you're a) a good teacher b) you've helped build a beter program c) you do outside of school work and this is your rewward: you're harder to fire...

and then a lot of them just coast afterwards which i hate