What is

Tenure

Tenure is a coveted status professors at universities and colleges in North America can receive that provides indefinite employment at a given institution. Tenure, also known as academic tenure, affords these professors the academic freedom to teach, research and publish on a variety of views and interests without fear of termination or retribution.

Tenure refers to a hard-to-obtain position of academic job security at higher ed institutions in Canada and the United States. Scholars who are said to be on the ‘tenure track’ are those working towards attaining tenure and are given a controlled timeframe during which to excel at academic publishing and research, teaching and securing grant funding. Universities or colleges may choose to employ academics as adjunct professors, research professors or lecturers, which are positions outside of the tenure track.