C2 Edited work
Tenure Tracks in European Universities : Managing Careers in Academia (2024)
Pekkola, E., & Siekkinen, T. (Eds.). (2024). Tenure Tracks in European Universities : Managing Careers in Academia. Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302451
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Pekkola, Elias; Siekkinen, Taru
ISBN: 978-1-0353-0244-4
eISBN: 978-1-0353-0245-1
Publication year: 2024
Publication date: 20/08/2024
Number of pages in the book: 270
Publisher: Edward Elgar
Place of Publication: Cheltenham
Publication country: United Kingdom
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302451
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Open Access channel
Abstract
Academic careers and recruitment are complex areas of research, intricately interlinked and significantly influenced by their changing environment and the actors involved. Their importance to universities and the academic profession is currently not fully recognised, and they are sometimes treated as mere administrative procedures. However, academic careers remain the most efficient way of managing autonomous academic work, which often deviates from policies and institutional strategies.
Academic careers are closely linked to the global advancement of science, but they are also linked to national institutions associated with higher education, such as universities, degrees, qualifications, privileges and the civil service. Because of the global nature of academic work and the high level of mobility between different systems, ideas are easily transferred across countries, cultures and contexts. However, the implementation of these ideas often proves challenging because of the national context.
The range of academic careers in Europe, and the vocabulary associated with them, has been and continues to be eclectic. In the early 2000s, the English term ‘tenure track’, which originated in the US higher education system, entered continental higher education systems. Discussions about the introduction of tenure tracks arose from apparent problems with the attractiveness of academic work and the precarious position of early-career researchers in academia. It was believed that, despite the many challenges identified in the US, the tenure track could enhance individual careers, increase the attractiveness of universities as employers and strengthen the competitiveness of higher education systems in Europe.
Moreover, the tenure track, with its multiple evaluation points and standardised assessments, was well aligned with the discourse of New Public Management (NPM) and managerialism. It aimed to increase predictability and clarity, to demystify and depoliticise evaluation processes, and to provide better control over the work of academics. This development might have reduced the power of the academic oligarchy and thus provoked resistance among some academics. Nevertheless, the recruitment process remains susceptible to the divergent interests of various actors.
The adoption of the, often untranslated, term ‘tenure track’ in many European higher education pilots and reforms in the 2010s led to different interpretations of the term among practitioners, managers and academics. It was fitted to national and local contexts, even in higher education systems where promotion was traditionally impossible, where there were no permanent academic positions, or where all academic positions were based on permanent contracts. This mismatch created confusion and led practitioners to realise that there was no ‘ideal, original or pure tenure track’ and that mere managerial change to adapt it was impossible. Its implementation often requires legislative changes in labour and higher education law and, even more importantly, a change in academic tradition and culture. Soon, there was a market for best practices in developing tenure tracks, but the offering was scarce because, in most countries, implementation was difficult due to the early stage and significant contextual differences.
Through recruitment, universities make critical strategic choices that tangibly shape their future. The study of tenure tracks is therefore a multifaceted reflection on the future of universities. Poorly designed processes in the name of efficiency can be detrimental to the equity of academic careers and to the attraction of early career researchers to academia. Over-profiling, over-competition and an exclusive focus on publishing articles reduce the societal impact of universities. This approach also has implications in times of crisis and societal change: do universities have sufficiently broad, diverse and multidisciplinary expertise to address complex problems, or have they become too narrowly focused in specific areas?
This book is the first attempt to collect and analyse the experience of tenure track in Europe and its impact on academic work and the profession. This book enables readers to reflect on and learn about the nuanced meanings of tenure tracks in Europe, in the hope of reducing the current confusion and providing avenues for analysis from different perspectives.
Academic careers are closely linked to the global advancement of science, but they are also linked to national institutions associated with higher education, such as universities, degrees, qualifications, privileges and the civil service. Because of the global nature of academic work and the high level of mobility between different systems, ideas are easily transferred across countries, cultures and contexts. However, the implementation of these ideas often proves challenging because of the national context.
The range of academic careers in Europe, and the vocabulary associated with them, has been and continues to be eclectic. In the early 2000s, the English term ‘tenure track’, which originated in the US higher education system, entered continental higher education systems. Discussions about the introduction of tenure tracks arose from apparent problems with the attractiveness of academic work and the precarious position of early-career researchers in academia. It was believed that, despite the many challenges identified in the US, the tenure track could enhance individual careers, increase the attractiveness of universities as employers and strengthen the competitiveness of higher education systems in Europe.
Moreover, the tenure track, with its multiple evaluation points and standardised assessments, was well aligned with the discourse of New Public Management (NPM) and managerialism. It aimed to increase predictability and clarity, to demystify and depoliticise evaluation processes, and to provide better control over the work of academics. This development might have reduced the power of the academic oligarchy and thus provoked resistance among some academics. Nevertheless, the recruitment process remains susceptible to the divergent interests of various actors.
The adoption of the, often untranslated, term ‘tenure track’ in many European higher education pilots and reforms in the 2010s led to different interpretations of the term among practitioners, managers and academics. It was fitted to national and local contexts, even in higher education systems where promotion was traditionally impossible, where there were no permanent academic positions, or where all academic positions were based on permanent contracts. This mismatch created confusion and led practitioners to realise that there was no ‘ideal, original or pure tenure track’ and that mere managerial change to adapt it was impossible. Its implementation often requires legislative changes in labour and higher education law and, even more importantly, a change in academic tradition and culture. Soon, there was a market for best practices in developing tenure tracks, but the offering was scarce because, in most countries, implementation was difficult due to the early stage and significant contextual differences.
Through recruitment, universities make critical strategic choices that tangibly shape their future. The study of tenure tracks is therefore a multifaceted reflection on the future of universities. Poorly designed processes in the name of efficiency can be detrimental to the equity of academic careers and to the attraction of early career researchers to academia. Over-profiling, over-competition and an exclusive focus on publishing articles reduce the societal impact of universities. This approach also has implications in times of crisis and societal change: do universities have sufficiently broad, diverse and multidisciplinary expertise to address complex problems, or have they become too narrowly focused in specific areas?
This book is the first attempt to collect and analyse the experience of tenure track in Europe and its impact on academic work and the profession. This book enables readers to reflect on and learn about the nuanced meanings of tenure tracks in Europe, in the hope of reducing the current confusion and providing avenues for analysis from different perspectives.
Keywords: system of higher education; universities; human resource management; personnel policy; recruitment of employees; university-educated labour; employment (legal relationship); career; career development
Fields of science:
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
VIRTA submission year: 2024
Preliminary JUFO rating: 2
Follow-up groups:
This publication includes articles with JYU authors:
- Pekkola, E., Siekkinen, T., Arnhold, N., Pietilä, M., Püttmann, V., & Sursock, A. (2024). Academic careers in Europe : a nested view. In E. Pekkola, & T. Siekkinen (Eds.), Tenure Tracks in European Universities : Managing Careers in Academia (pp. 19-41). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302451.00008
- Siekkinen, T., Pekkola, E., Pietilä, M., & Mikkonen, M. (2024). Developing and implementing fair and rewarding tenure tracks : organisational and professional aspects. In E. Pekkola, & T. Siekkinen (Eds.), Tenure Tracks in European Universities : Managing Careers in Academia (pp. 1-18). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302451.00007
- Pekkola, E., Siekkinen, T., & Mikkonen, M. (2024). European tenure track(s) : trends and challenges. In E. Pekkola, & T. Siekkinen (Eds.), Tenure Tracks in European Universities : Managing Careers in Academia (pp. 235-244). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302451.00020
- Siekkinen, T., Kujala, E.-N., Pekkola, E., & Kivistö, J. (2024). Tenure track in Finland : from closed vacancy-based recruitment to more diverse tenure track recruitment in Finnish universities. In E. Pekkola, & T. Siekkinen (Eds.), Tenure Tracks in European Universities : Managing Careers in Academia (pp. 82-101). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302451.00011
