Tenure
Hi guys.
I've been away for quite a while. The main reason is that my RSI has been pretty bad, and I am going through some physiotherapy that I need to complete before I dare pick up the usual load of computer time, and the blog is just part of the workload that is easiest to give low priority.
Anyway, I just have a quick announcement before I go back to hiding again: I was just offered tenure! I'm meeting the dean to negotiate on Friday (but I'm probably taking any offer I can get, so there isn't that much negotiation after all).
Speaking of tenure, here's some interesting blog posts, mostly critical of tenure:
- Tenure
- Tenure: An idea whose time has gone
- What if universities get rid of tenure?
- Let's just get rid of tenure
I can't really say that I disagree with these, but as long as the tenure system is in place, I'm just happy to have it. I've managed to get funding for my own research and my own salary for the last five years, and maybe I could continue with that, but it is nice to know that the day when I hit a dry spell of grants being granted, I'm not immediately thrown out of the uni, which has been the case until now...
August 23rd, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I guess, your destiny is to be a great scientist, Thomas))) because you are master))) you so love your work))
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Congrats! I'm very happy for the university!
August 24th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Congratulations,
I would say that I am not so much against tenures (having myself one in the French system).
You appreciate it even more when you have kids (especially if you are a women I guess or a more or less modern man). A lot of the arguments I found following your links perfectly make sense if scientists are single, young forever and ready to move in a new city every two years (or real-smart genious, which doesn't happen that often). Otherwise, a mix of stability is not so bad.
I heard about a system at Soutwest Foundation BR where you have a kind of guarantee for a salary but if you manage to have your salary through grants you have obviously higher wages and I guess have more career perspectives. This makes a kind of net preventing you to be thrown out when you have kids (and aren't able to stay until 10 pm two weeks long everyday to have this dam... paper sent :-) or even try to develop a new project without trying to publish at any cost anything before you ever began the project (just to maintain a decent level of publications :-).
But that's not the subject here :-)
So ... that's great new for stat genetics :-) and computers. Have a nice and productive negociation ...
Christian
August 24th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
I don't think anyone is doubting that tenure is a wonderful opportunity for the tenuree, Christian -- the problem is that it is of questionable value to science as a whole, as Thomas has earlier mentioned. Too many tenured professors use the security of tenure not to start a long term research project impossible to do without the security of tenure as intended, but rather to do little or no research at all.
August 25th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Hi,
Won't start a discussion here as the main topic was congratulations for Thomas :-), but I really meant that stability may be good for science as a whole too.
Maybe we'll meet on other blogs on this topic.
best
August 27th, 2010 at 5:02 am
Congratulations!
What tenure meant to me (I'm a retired full professor in the U.S.) was the security and freedom to take some risks and move into a new area. I think that's a non-trivial aspect of tenure that the debate frequently doesn't mention.
August 27th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Stort tillykke! Jeg håber du bliver glad for stillingen.
August 31st, 2010 at 1:06 am
congrats!*