The Study Of Post-tenure Review In America

In 1970's American higher education was facing finance crisis, trust crisis, morality crisis, and performance crisis as well, meanwhile it also underwent reformations inside. In 1980's, reform of tenure became the main trend of faculty evaluation development, in which post-tenure review developed. Post-tenure review can be briefly identified as a periodically mandatory review of tenured professors. The origination and development of post-tenure review are accompanied by fierce argument both inside and outside campuses. This paper will do some research on series questions concerning post-tenure review, including its identification, origination, meaning, value, crisis as well as its state quo. However, as far as post-tenure review is concerned, it takes American higher education as background. Based on policy of tenure, evaluation of faculty in American university, academic freedom and faculty professionalization can be considered as its content, idea and goal respectively. Therefore, we should do deep research on the fields covering all of the above.To ensure the coherence of this paper, it is divided into 6 chapters. They are chapter of introduction, chapter of origination, chapter of history and state quo, chapter of argument, chapter of idea and reality, and chapter of problem analysis and enlightenment. Since post-tenure review is originated from tenure, this paper introduces the identity and value of tenure first. With the time matches on, though tenure has brought prosperity to American higher education, it brings about a great deal of argument. Post-tenure review was originated and developed because of new idea and value it brings. The paper introduces the identification, value and argument of post-tenure review, and also does analysis on the arguments existed in American society. Post-tenure review , as a new-born policy ,is also undergoing a reform and remedy. AAUP(American Association of University Professors)can be considered as the pioneer of its reform. It has published recommendations of post-tenure review. However, there is a long distance existed between idea and reality. The question that how to keep post-tenure review develop in the right way will be discussed in the paper. Finally, standing at the point of a foreigner, the author will put enlightenment on the basis of deep consideration and thinking, in order to provide reference to both American and Chinese higher education reform.