looming tenure denial

[Brego]

I'm in a book field.  My book manuscript has just received its first reader report.  Overwhelming support for publication with very minor revisions.  Second report is supposed to arrive next week.

In addition to the book, I have ten peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters either in print, under review, or forthcoming. 

Problem is the regulations at my university state that no additional information can be added to the tenure dossier once it is submitted.  My dossier went out to external reviewers this past winter.  Tenure vote is this winter.  I'm guessing I am up shit creek. 

Thoughts or advice?

There is a lot more to this story, but I don't want to disclose it in this post.  Suffice it to say I am lucky to be alive at this point in my life (and that is not an exaggeration). 

 

[Puget]

Sorry to hear that!

It seems very unusual to have the dossier due a year before the vote (here its about 6 months, and you can include an updated CV just before the vote).

Will you have a chance to respond at any stage along the way, e.g., to the department letter?

Regardless, it sounds like it would be good to go on the market now and/or consider other plan Bs.

Best of luck!

[Mobius]

This is standard everywhere. It would count for promotions to full.

[Ruralguy]

I am not sure what Mobius is stating as "standard everywhere" (especially since so much of anything anywhere isn't *standard* anywhere-else), but it seems that as others have stated, you will want to find out ways of getting this
book considered (though the department, via a Dean, etc.). If that's impossible, then setting up Plan B seems sensible (applying out).

I'm sorry you are going through this, especially since it sounds like there is other drama, and also (especially also), you seem qualified, just a little late, or really its that the school is too early!

p.s. I am assuming there's no teaching or service drama to make this worse, but I guess it doesn't really matter for the advice we've given.

[Sea_Ice]

Brego I'm terribly sorry to hear that this is being piled on top of everything else you've endured.  Yet, endure it you can - Please!!  You're worth it!

First - try not to worry about what you can't control.  Not easy, I know, especially at 2 a.m.

Second - tell everyone important (Chair, Dean, colleagues, the pseudo-colleagues best called co-workers, et al.) the GREAT news about your book.  Despite the odds, you did get it done - and, as necessary & where-ever even remotely reasonable, thank them for their kindness / encouragement / support / etc.  A charming smile while slathering on the guilt-trip never hurt an a** more than was necessary...

Third - be realistic & get everything ready to apply for other jobs / fellowships / etc.  Letters lined up, CV updated, various philosophy statements updated to both meet the current situation & emphasize your experience, etc. - and then start a list of what must be done (sell the house? thin out bulky possessions?) to ease the move.

I'm sorry you might end up being denied - I hope that's NOT what happens!

[secundem_artem]

Here, full dossiers are due by October 1.  Nothing can be added afterwards.  In my college, forthcoming, in press, under review, etc. don't count for much.  I have voted in favor of a candidate whose tenure package was mostly those terms.  We are in the same field and I could see that the work would have a major impact once it was published. 

Not everyone on the committee agreed.  We ended up voting 3 times on the candidate.  He eventually made it through and has done very well since.  Tenuring him up was the right call.  But it came at a cost - it really did him some emotional damage.

So.... best I can say is you can hope there are members of your committee who will see the value of what is coming next and not be a stickler for when the book comes out.

Sorry mate.  There are aspects of this job that just plain suck.

[Mobius]

I've just never seen that in dozens of faculty handbooks I've read. There are, of course, instances where the spirit of the law matters more than the letter of the law. Department and institutional history matter.

What are the annual evals like, or mid-tenure review? The record seems good for an R1 in humanities and some social sciences (depends on which journals). You'd be well-positioned to move on. Maybe not an R1, but the record could only help for an R2 or public regional.

I am not sure what Mobius is stating as "standard everywhere" (especially since so much of anything anywhere isn't *standard* anywhere-else), but it seems that as others have stated, you will want to find out ways of getting this
book considered (though the department, via a Dean, etc.). If that's impossible, then setting up Plan B seems sensible (applying out).

I'm sorry you are going through this, especially since it sounds like there is other drama, and also (especially also), you seem qualified, just a little late, or really its that the school is too early!

p.s. I am assuming there's no teaching or service drama to make this worse, but I guess it doesn't really matter for the advice we've given.

[jerseyjay]

First congratulations on the reader reports.

What type of school are you at? At many schools your publication record would be enough to get tenure. I am not at an R1, so I cannot really speak to those, but at my school, you already have more publications than some tenured faculty in history or literature.

I think that, as always, this also comes down to your relationship with your colleagues and your administration. If they are looking for a reason to deny tenure, your lack of a book may be that--of course, if they are looking for a reason to deny tenure, they could criticize your press, etc., especially at more elite schools. If they are looking for a reason to give you tenure, I think that they would have more than enough already.

The fact that you cannot add the reader report to your dossier, does not mean that it cannot influence your case. I agree that you should publicize informally and if possible formally the fact that you will be having a book coming out. This will make it harder to argue that you will never have a book published. Even if people claim that they cannot take into consideration the news, functionally it impossible for them to not do so. Unless of course, they are looking for an excuse to deny you tenure--but as I mentioned there is always an excuse.

(The best case scenario is that they grant tenure, and since the book is not officially part of your dossier, that you can use it for promotion to full.)

All that said, I agree you should go on the market. But I also generally advise everybody going up for tenure to go on the market, with or without a book.

[clean]

Even if you were not worried about the outcome, I would tell you to be on the job market.   You are in a great position to BE on the market! Much better than others are likely to be.

As I said at the start, even if you were not worried, NOW is the time to test the waters!  They are in the process of making a decision on whether to offer you a 'contract without renewal'.  You should be exploring the world outside your current employer.  Are you certain that you want to be at this place for the rest of your career?  Collect additional information.  See what it is like outside of the current place. It may be worse, and that would be just as important to know as it may be better.  You dont have to TAKE a job at this point, but you will want to make sure that you are in a position to weigh ALL of the offers (including an offer of 'contract without renewal' - tenure).

[Sun_Worshiper]

Hope for the best - maybe external reviewers will be impressed by your record and enthusiastic about your book project. That said, you should hit the market at tenure time - especially if you are worried about denial.

What does your chair have to say?

[waterboy]

Here, changes can be made all the way up to the College committee. After that (the dean), it's frozen.

[Ruralguy]

Honestly, we don't have clear rules on firm deadlines for materials. This can be problematic if applied unfairly.

[AJ_Katz]

Thoughts or advice?

I'd love to say that you should leak the updated information to people down the review chain, but likely they are also not allowed to include comments on any materials not already included in the dossier.

In addition to the book, I have ten peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters either in print, under review, or forthcoming. 

This outstanding.  It is unclear, but it sounds like your health problems may have interfered or delayed an equal amount of productivity prior to this, is that correct?  Or have you been able to be even half as productive prior to that?  If half as productive, it still might be good enough to get by.  I wonder if you also had any medical leaves that would have extended your clock so that it is on record that you had serious health issues come up during the evaluation period. 

Still --- I would ask around.  Ask a trusted senior faculty member what can be done, if anything.  It simply does not hurt to ask. 

[Mobius]

Forthcoming, counts, right, as long as you can provide proof of acceptance?

Just can't count it again when going up for full.

Under review doesn't matter, though, since that doesn't tell a committee much. There is someone in my discipline who constantly tweets about their latest submission, but their work just doesn't get published. Maybe this scholar will have a ton of publications in the next few years, but they have been doing this for 3-4 years, now.

[Ruralguy]

Yes, people can go through rough patches of submitted work not being accepted. Unfortunately, a long-ish time baseline is needed in order to know whether or not these are just rough patches or whether they characterize a career.

I wish we could give more specific advice that would be helpful. You are a successful scholar, clearly. I hope that leads to success in place, but if it can't, then I hope it becomes clear relatively quickly where that can happen.