University of Tennessee faculty: Administrative proposal would essentially eliminate tenure

Rachel Ohm:

What is tenure and how is it awarded?

Tenure is the principle by which faculty can continue in their appointments indefinitely. At UT and elsewhere, it’s based on the expectation that a faculty member will continue to show professional excellence over time and is granted only after rigorous review.

At the same time, tenure also guarantees faculty the right to academic freedom and free speech because they know they won’t be fired for expressing different views.

Currently, 818 of the 1,567 faculty at UT Knoxville are tenured and 313 are tenure-track.

The current policy on tenure dates back to a board review in 1998, though some modifications have been put in place since.