As Case Western Reserve embarks on a strategic initiative to hire 100 net new tenured and tenure-track faculty members by 2028, members of Faculty Senate recently approved a clearer definition of what the term “tenure” means at the university—a move that was decades in the making and could help attract top candidates to these new roles.
Since at least the early 2000s, members of Faculty Senate had sought to clarify the university commitments that accompany the rank of tenure, according to Maureen McEnery, chair of the Faculty Senate and associate professor of neurology at the School of Medicine. In practice, she said, different interpretations of existing tenure guidelines undermined equivalence among faculty.
When President Eric W. Kaler was made aware of the possible discrepancies between the definition and implementation of tenure, he was quick to act, past chair of the Faculty Senate Steven Eppell, associate professor of biomedical engineering said.
President Kaler charged a committee to review discrepancies and make recommendations to him and, ultimately, the Board of Trustees. At its February meeting, the board approved a Faculty Handbook amendment specifying that tenure comes with a salary guarantee and standardizing operating procedures.