A Study On The Tenure System In American Universities

Teachers are the most important kind of resources in a university. The level of faculties, to a large extent, represents the level of universities. The level of higher education development depends on the overall quality of faculty in a large degree.With the promulgation and implementation of education laws and regulations, such as Teachers' Law of PRC and Higher Education Law of PRC, the teacher engagement system starts to get into the college personnel management system. Tsinghua University and Beijing University promulgated certain regulations pertaining to the faculty engagement system successively, and evoked nationwide repercussions. However, the long term planning economic system has given rise to many problems such as backward concept, unscientific management in the course of practicing the faculty engagement system. Hence, it is not the faculty engagement system in the true meaning.The United States is the unique superpower in the world for its mighty comprehensive national strength. Most top universities in the world are in the United States. Many universities in the United States become models for universities all over the world due to their abundant and famous teaching staff. The distinguished feature of the teacher engagement system in US is the tenure system. The tenure system, as the core of the teacher engagement system in US, is regarded as the most effective mechanism for faculty selection and reward in American higher institutions. The theoretical fruits and experience in practice formed in the process of the development and reform of tenure system are worth studying. This paper studies the evolvement and development process as well as reform project of the tenure system with the purpose of drawing on the experience of US and provide some useful suggestions for establishing the teacher engagement system in our country.This dissertation includes 4 parts besides the preface and the epilogue.Part I reviews the establishment and development process of tenure system through introducing a series of documents issued by American Association of University Professors( AAUP). The statement declared by AAUP, founded in 1915, marks the establishment of tenure system. The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which emphasizes of the necessity of academic tenure and plays a critical role in the setting up of tenure system in America, is the programmatic document of establishing tenure system. Then, AAUP issued 1958 Statement on Procedural Standards of Faculty Dismissal Proceedings and 1970 Interpretive Comments to supplement and improve tenure system, which makes the principle of academic freedom and tenure a normal system in American higher institutes.Part II introduces the procedures of obtaining tenure and analyzes the characteristics and the value of tenure system. Protecting academic freedom, ensuring professional security, attracting excellent talents and cultivating organizational culture are the basic values of tenure system. They also lay a solid foundation for tenure system to stand firmly in the market-oriented environment.Part III elaborates the great challenges lie ahead of the tenure system and the reform projects of tenure system. The reform pressure comes from all sides, such as financial retrenchment, performance accountability, the objection within the academia and new educational environment. Various reform proposals have been put forward for the tenure system, which includes post-tenure review, long-term contract system, tenure quota system and elimination of "up or out" system. Most colleges and universities put the post-tenure review into effect.Part IV analyzes the differences between the tenure system and the teachers' engagement system in China and the author puts forward some suggestions for the reform of teachers' engagement system in China. Compared with the tenure system in America, many problems crop up in the implementation of the teacher engagement system in our country such as backward modes of thought, unscientific employment system, low efficiency of employment contract, imperfect elimination and assessment system and so on. The author also proposes some suggestions for the reform of teachers' engagement system in our country on the basis of drawing on the experience of tenure system in America. We should carry out a kind of teachers' employment system in which the tenure system and contract engagement are mutually complemented. In order to facilitate the implementation of teachers' engagement system, the following points are essential: setting up position scientifically and define the corresponding responsibility explicitly; establishing the scientific evaluation system and strengthening the tenured faculty governance; strengthening legal system construction to protect teachers' rights and interests; set up a system to facilitate a rational flow of human resources and perfect the social security system.