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. 2024 Aug 20;121(34):e2403489121.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2403489121. Epub 2024 Aug 16.

Extended time, elevated expectations: The unappreciated downsides of pausing the tenure clock

Maria A Holland  1 , Katharina Maisel  2 , Carolyn B Ibberson  3 , Laura K Wiley  4 , David C Burnett  5 , Emily M Mace  6 , Mary Williard Elting  7
Affiliations

Extended time, elevated expectations: The unappreciated downsides of pausing the tenure clock

Maria A Holland et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

None
There are ways to improve tenure extension policies so that they better benefit both individuals and institutions. Image credit: Shutterstock/Bilanol.
Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The tenure track as a race up a hill. The typical tenure track (Top) involves reaching the bar for tenure in 5 years, although it can be as much as 8–11 years (3, 4). In the case of an extension, the intention (Middle) is to allow an additional year to reach the same bar; this results in a slightly lower “slope” to account for the presence of challenges along the way. However, in reality (Bottom), the bar for tenure often gets higher. Faculty have to climb a steeper slope for more time, while simultaneously having to navigate multiple obstacles. Image credit: Kristina Davis (University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Estimated loss of lifetime earnings due to delayed promotion. The impact is significantly more than the loss of the raise for a single year. Based on a few basic assumptions, a single extension (here, a raise of $10k delayed by one year) could lead to net losses of 5 times that over a 30-year career and nearly 10 times for two extensions. These numbers don’t take into account compound interest, summer salary, or additional merit raises, which would be reduced as well. Earning loss is normalized by the amount of the raise, here $10k. See SI Appendix for information on model assumptions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Columbia University in the City of New York, Procedures for appointment and promotion for faculty with unmodified titles (2024). https://facultyhandbook.columbia.edu/content/officers-instruction/proced.... Accessed 14 August 2024.
    1. Harvard University, Faculty of Medicine Handbook (2024). https://facultyhandbook.hms.harvard.edu/. Accessed 14 August 2024.
    1. Magder T., Faculty Senators Council Review: School of Medicine proposal for extension of the tenure clock (2013). https://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/facultyGovernance/documents/RecTenur.... Accessed 14 August 2024.

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