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

Abstract

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 department 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?