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Reader query on TT contracts, raises, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted on how tenure requirements and decisionmaking can differ by institution. In the comments section there earlier today, 'recent grad' requested that I survey readers about some other respects in which jobs at different institutions can differ:

Could you create a poll or a post asking tenure-track folks to list a) the lengths of their pre-tenure contracts, b) any raises those pre-tenure contracts involved, and c) what kind of review, if any, was required for each additional pre-tenure contract?

These are really good questions, ones that people on the job-market could probably use good answers to!

I myself wasn't aware as a job-candidate just how different institutions can be in these areas. For instance, since my time on the job-market, I've learned that whereas some institutions have not given their faculty any raises for a number of years (even cost of living raises to match inflation!), faculty at other institutions may receive annual raises, including merit raises (depending on how well they perform as researchers, teachers, and so on). Similarly, I've heard that whereas tenure at some institutions comes with a very substantial salary increase, other institutions may provide only a small salary increase with tenure, and in some cases no salary increase (I have a friend in the latter situation). Finally, I've learned there can also be significant differences with contracts. For instance, at some schools tenure-track faculty may only technically have renewable one-year contracts, and so could conceivably be let go if they perform abysmally. Further, I've heard at some schools TT faculty have a kind of "pretenure review" each year; at other schools that there is a pretenure review after three years; and so on.

Because I'm not sure how to best run a formal poll on this stuff, why don't our TT readers just weigh in on each of recent grad's questions below:

  1. What is the length of your contract(s) before tenure?
  2. Do you get raises? If so, what kind(s), how often, and how much? (Annual raises? Cost of living raises? Merit raises? Tenure raises? What amount?)
  3. What kind of "review" does one undergo in your position? Annual reviews? Three-year reviews? Etc.

I'll share my own answers anonymously below (I'm not sure it's appropriate or advisable for me to publicly broadcast my institution's policies!). Anyway, I'm curious to hear people's answers!

Posted in

9 responses to “Reader query on TT contracts, raises, etc.”

  1. recent grad

    I think you mean “since my time on the job-market, I’ve learned that whereas some institutions have [not] given their faculty any raises for a number of years (even cost of living raises to match inflation!)…”
    As for me:
    1) Seems to be year-to-year contracts.
    2) the institution on the whole has an annual cost-of-living raise set aside in the budget, but its application is up to administration discretion. From what I understand, it does not get used every year.
    3) It seems to depend on the year: some years it’s a formality, other years it involve extra-departmental review.

    Reply
  2. Anon

    I am on a one-year contract, and can technically be let go after one year. But the university basically commits to a 3-year term and then you go up for a third year review. I’m still not sure how this all works.
    No one at my institution received merit-based raises last year. I think there are very small annual raises.
    Annual and 3-year reviews.

    Reply
  3. anonymous

    I am on a three year contract, renewed after third year review.
    Our raises are purportedly 100% merit, no cost of living. But I’m not sure whether there is a base raise that everyone gets each year, or whether some people get nothing (though note: to get nothing, I think you would have to not publish, get horrible teaching reviews, and do no service work–there are people in my department who this describes). The merit raises are pretty generous in my limited experience.
    We undergo annual review in part to determine our merit raises, but it’s a much more minimal process than the third-year review, and we can’t be fired on the basis of it.

    Reply
  4. Regional State U TT

    Technically on a series of 1-year contracts, although everyone seems agreed that the only point at which these might practically not be renewed are after third year review and at tenure time.
    There’s no standard here – cost of living raises if there is money, merit raises if there is money. There was about a 2% cost of living raise in my second year and 4th year on tenure track (I’m now starting the 5th), and about half of us on the tenure track got a merit-based raise in the year in between. Tenure brings a raise of $12,500, regardless of department or starting salary.
    We undergo annual reviews to determine merit raises, as well as annual reappointment reviews – although, as mentioned above, the only way to be fired as a result of these seems to be after the 3rd year review. Apparently the reappointment reviews are mostly to leave a paper trail to back up a later tenure decision.

    Reply
  5. anonymous

    On a 3 year contract with annual COL increases (1-2%). Contract will (I hope!) be renewed after three years. I take it this is standard. No “merit” raises until after tenure, and these are on some kind of clock — you go up for a merit raise after a certain number of years.

    Reply
  6. SLAC Prof

    Year-to-year contracts until tenured. In practice, however, these are always renewed (absent egregious misconduct, presumably).
    Faculty are on a step system: your salary is determined by the step you were hired in at, your length of service, and (to a lesser extent) your rank. There is only a very small salary bump for promotion. There are no merit raises or automatic COL adjustments. Over the last seven years, we have seen faculty salary gains below inflation (on average).
    The system I was tenured under involved a standard six-year clock with a substantial formative review in the third year and less involved reviews in the other pre-tenure years. This recently changed at my institution with (I think) somewhat buffed-up second- and fifth-year reviews (though not buffed all the way to the level of the third-year review).

    Reply
  7. Another SLAC Prof

    Year-to-year contracts for all tenure-track and tenured faculty. In practice, always renewed (absent egregious conduct or revocation of tenure).
    Typically, cost-of-living raises each year (~1-2%), additional raises based on merit (~3-4%). Based on annual reviews. Tenure brings $4000 raise.
    Annual reviews, mid-tenure review after 3 years.

    Reply
  8. SLAC

    Two three-year contracts before tenure.
    Annual COL raises (2-3%), plus merit raises (3-5%) and annual performance bonus (1-2 months salary).
    Annual reviews, major third-year review between first two contracts (basically a T&P dry run — everything that would be in the T&P dossier except for outside letters).

    Reply
  9. Also a SLAC Prof

    At a SLAC…
    1. Three year contracts – one running to pre-tenure review, one running to tenure.
    2. Annual cost of living raises each year. Tenure and promotion are linked, so tenure comes with a promotion to Associate Professor and a substantive raise.
    3. Annual reviews (self-review, with follow up by department chair) which continue post-tenure. Pre-tenure review in third year (which is similar in process to the tenure review). Passing that review leads to the second three year contract, culminating in tenure review in your sixth year. (Of course, this is the standard clock, it is negotiable)

    Reply

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