Friday, February 6, 2009

Are You Portable?

This article presents us the concept of "portable tenure." What do you think?

8 comments:

Kent said...

I like it. This article strikes home. Also, I like the phrase "academic undead". Don't we all know too many of them?

Traductor said...

Yeah, it's tough, because you need to earn tenure at your own institution, but you want the flexibility of "moving up," if possible, and it's not easy to keep focused on both. I also think the networking thing is really important, but in a discipline which is by nature filled with introspective people, that is itself a challenge.

Dave said...

Good article. I like the distinctions between inst. and professional tenure. The bad administration and bad economics summed up my institution's problems. It looks as if two recently hired tenure track positions may be cut.

Mike said...

I echo Kent. That article really hit home. I realized awhile back that I had no portability, and have been working to rectify that. Thing is, I'm terrible at networking.

Traductor said...

I think the point is we need to start our own university because we are pretty good at networking amongst ourselves.

Kent said...

Yeah, but if we started our own university we'd be the dirty bastards folding and leaving people like us in the lurch. I prefer my state sinecure.

Shandy said...

Yeah, this blog is pretty much the extent of my networking.

I much prefer to sit back at conferences and relax and observe my colleagues knocking themselves out shaking hands and slapping backs, handing out business cards, etc.

Traductor said...

I think I remember being promised a seat on the governing board of a new university to be started in Ecuador.