In its 2022 survey of tenure practices, the American Association of University Professors says that 82.3 percent of colleges permit faculty members to extend their probationary period prior to being awarded tenure — a practice known as “stopping the tenure clock.”
“Of those that offer policies to stop the tenure clock, 92.5 percent make the option available to faculty members regardless of gender, in recognition that partners can be coequal caretakers of newborn or newly adopted children,” reads the report. “Only 50.5 percent of institutions explicitly permit stopping the tenure clock for elder care; however, many respondents stressed in their comments that their colleges and universities provided opportunities to negotiate stopping the tenure clock on an individual basis for many or unspecified reasons.”
The survey’s conclusion notes: “The present study also provides information about tenure practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Press reports of such efforts at individual institutions have at times focused on opposition to them by faculty members, outside organizations, or state legislatures. It should be noted that AAUP policy generally does not provide substantive grounds to oppose tenure practices and standards that promote DEI.”
To view and download the AAUP’s 2022 survey of tenure practices, click here.