When last we left our intrepid heroine she was awaiting word of her 3Y, first mid-tenure review.

It went very well. I received a unanimous positive vote from the tenured faculty of my college. Due to a fair amount of transition with a heavy handful of retirements, the tenured faculty is small group of people and with one abstention, there were only 12 people deciding whether or not I would continue with my job.

From the meeting there was a letter generated that goes forth as part of my package. It will eventually be part of all of the papers that wind themselves to campus. Generally it was very positive, with a few suggestions–mostly about my research.  My librarianship and service were pretty much just given a bold check mark, and move on.

My research, I’m still sorting their comments and I’ve reached out to ask for more clarification.  They’d like more theory in my work. This is a struggle, because I’m painfully practical. I’ll write creative theory here on an off day when I am feeling pie in the sky, but my research, the things I spend serious time on? I want that to have application, not only for me but for my peers. I’ve been talking it through with some people wiser than me (the Philosopher included) and generally though I think I have a plan.

What comes now is a bit of a lull. A very small bit. Somewhere about a year from now I’ll need to start pooling all of these documents again and creating the parts and pieces for my 5Y review, which again is internal to my library and again is make or break on my job.  The paperwork for that, it’s my understanding from watching one coworker go through it, pulls together earlier and that vote will be in the Fall 2016, rather than spring, as if you pass they want to start tackling 6Y stuff in January.

I was assigned a new research mentor and just last week got a new liaison to the Promotion and Tenure committee–a new paperwork person.  So now it’s onwards and upwards…

Questions about my tenure process? Please leave a comment or send me a question via email (see about me) or on Twitter @hedgielib.