J Dent Educ. 73(3): 375-382 2009
© 2009 American Dental Education Association
Milieu in Dental School and Practice |
An Assessment of Promotion and Tenure Requirements at Dental Schools
Elizabeth S. Pilcher, D.M.D.;
Anne Osborne Kilpatrick, D.P.A.;
John Segars, B.S.
Key words: promotion, tenure, tenure tracks, dental faculty, faculty recruitment and retention
Submitted for publication 08/29/08;
accepted 11/18/08
Tenure and promotion are integral parts of the academic environment; however, in this era of growing shortages of faculty, as the baby boomers retire and the majority of dentists choose private practice, recruitment and retention may be affected by the way institutions handle promotion and tenure. A national survey of U.S. dental schools conducted in 2007 assessed the existence of multiple employment tracks for faculty and examined the requirements for promotion and tenure. All responding schools reported the existence of multiple tracks for academic faculty appointments. Many dental schools reported that they provided opportunity for faculty members to switch from one track to another, thus circumventing the traditional "up-or-out" policy. The number of schools offering non-tenure appointment tracks has also increased. This finding indicates an apparent increase over time in flexibility regarding tracks and tenure. The majority of schools did not report requirements for the number of publications necessary for promotion. Those that did report requirements showed an increase in expected scholarly activity relative to past studies, indicating that it may be more difficult than ever to achieve promotion.
Copyright © 2009 by the American Dental Education Association.
