On Faculty Tenure In American Colleges And Universities

Faculty tenure in American colleges and universities is the unique characteristic and the important part of faculty management in American higher education. Faculty tenure, academic freedom,and university autonomy are three foundation stones for American higher education.Faculty tenure has been exerting great influence on the development of American higher education, especially after the World War II. And the effects are coming as: protecting the academic freedom which is valued by American higher education; recruiting and retaining top-flight faculty in American colleges and universities; balancing the academic authority and administrative authority in American colleges and universities, and so on.The thesis retrospects the development of faculty tenure in American colleges and universities firstly, then expatiates the policies and practices about faculty tenure, such as the principles, criterions and procedures of appointment and dismissal. Thirdly, the thesis makes a reflection on faculty tenure in American colleges and universities, makes appraisal and analysis of the characteristics of faculty tenure and its influence on the development of American higher education; and the thesis explores the disputes and problems on faculty tenure. Fourthly, on the basis of expectation of faculty tenure, the thesis expatiates post-tenure review which is one of the reformation projects of faculty tenure and is most outstanding and bring into effect widely; the thesis analyses post-tenure review's signification and types, principals on practice and disputes around it in American colleges and universities. Then, the thesis indicates that post-tenure review will be the uptrend of faculty tenure. Finally, some enlightening points have been drawn out from faculty tenure in American colleges and universities for our reference to faculty management in colleges and universities in China: the combinative system including faculty tenure and engagement contract should be implemented as part of the faculty management system in colleges and universities in China; colleges and universities should establish and mature a set of scientific and equitable faculty review system and reinforce the post appointment review; colleges and universities should also develop the concomitant reformations while deepen the reformation of faculty management in colleges and universities in China.