Publish or Perish? Examining Academic Tenure Standards in Public Affairs and Administration Programs

Jerrell D. Coggburn, Stephen R. Neely
2015 Journal of Public Affairs Education  
Academic tenure is a topic of great concern in the field of public affairs and administration. Especially for pre-tenured faculty members, institutional expectations profoundly influence individual decisions regarding what to research and how, and where to publish results. For academic programs, the stakes are also high: negative tenure decisions affect morale and represent lost resources that may not be easily recovered, while positive decisions on marginal cases may have long-term impacts on
more » ... epartment performance. This suggests an imperative of establishing and communicating clear tenure expectations. Yet little is known, aside from anecdote and myth, about public affairs and administration tenure standards. A survey of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration's member institutions elicited responses from 144 academic leaders (54% response rate). One portion of the survey specifically addressed this fundamental question: What are NASPAA member institutions' tenure expectations for public affairs and administration faculty members? KeYWOrdS Tenure, faculty rewards JPAE 21 (2), 199-214
doi:10.1080/15236803.2015.12001828 fatcat:utupo464nvf7bkfxhmeb7nkbe4