Tenure Review Survival
By Mickey Hong
LACC Staff & Organizational
Development Coordinator
hongmj@lacitycollege.edu
You made it through…
…the wilderness.
Somehow you made it through.
Now, you’re about to start your 4th year
as a probationary faculty and you
should prepare for your Tenure
Review.
I will guide you…
…if you promise not to turn into
this after you become tenured.
“The juvenile sea squirt wanders
through the sea searching for
a suitable rock or hunk of coral
to cling to and make its home
for life. For this task it has a
rudimentary nervous system.
When it finds its spot and
takes root, it doesn't need its
brain any more so it eats it. It's
rather like getting tenure.”
- Daniel C. Dennett,
Consciousness Explained
Tenure Review Committee
Make sure you have all 5 members of the
committee, plus a mentor, before the fall
semester of your tenure review year (the 4th
year).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Department chair (voting)
Department designee (voting)
Evaluee designee (voting)
Academic senate designee (non-voting)
Administrative designee (non-voting)
Tip

Find a buddy/
partner in your
department or
New Faculty
Academy class for
mutual support.
Do your homework
Read Article 42, “Tenure Review and Evaluation of
Contract (Probationary) Faculty” in the Agreement
Between the Los Angeles Community College
District and the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild
Local 1521, CFT/AFT, AFT/CIO (July 1, 2005
through June 30, 2008), pp. 144-151.
http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreement
s/AFT/aft.htm
If you are up for tenure next academic year, make sure
you obtain the new agreement/contract.
Print out the forms on pp. 176-179
This is your game plan for the
year
15-weeks of review
But it will be worth it
Organize!

Buy a binder and tab dividers and label
the different sections to collect the
materials for what is to become your
tenure review portfolio.
What you should’ve done

Revise/update your tenure review
portfolio materials annually. Keep a
copy of all your Basic and
Comprehensive Evaluations.
Student Evaluation

Administer student evaluation at least every year
even if it is an informal one. Simply ask students to
write a few sentences on what they liked most
about the class and what can be done to improve
the course. If you are a new instructor, midsemester evaluation is also a good idea to get
feedback from students earlier.

The Student Evaluation of the Instructor is also in
the Agreement/Contract, pp. 199-200. You
CANNOT be in the classroom while students fill it
out. Inform the chair that you will be conducting an
evaluation. Arrange with a colleague to monitor the
evaluation and collect the forms.
It’s best to

Actively participate in all campus committees and events.
Tenure review should be an opportunity for you to stand out-when you finally, proudly get to present what you have
accomplished in the last 4 years at LACC. Enjoy the process.
What to include in your Tenure
Review Portfolio
List of courses taught each semester.
If you don’t remember, check on the
LACCD Instructor System:
www.laccd.edu/faculty_staff/services_log
on.asp

Graph it!

Keep track of class
enrollment and student
success. Records
available at the Office of
Institutional Advancement
(AD 209). Make graphs, if
possible. Hopefully, the
graphs shows that your
class enrollment went up or
were always full, and more
students are passing your
courses every year.
List

Professional and teaching
development (i.e. conference
attendances, presentations, etc.) and
campus activities (i.e. committees,
projects, etc.)
When our flex portal is finally
ready

Copy your flex credit reports.
Prepare

You may be asked to write a SelfEvaluation (2-pages, i.e. strengths &
weaknesses).
Curriculum Vitae
1. Educational background
2. Teaching and research background
3. Campus activities
4. Awards, fellowships, grants
5. Experiences abroad, volunteer experiences
6. Professional affiliations (i.e. AFT)
7. Presentations
8. Publications
Flaunt

Copies of awards or certificates.
Mad Skillz

Printed pages of your
course/educational website
Others




Syllabus of every course taught.
Exams of every course.
Assignments, handouts, and
worksheets of every course
Copies of official and unofficial Student
Evaluations.
Repeat
“I will not turn into a sea squirt after I
become tenured. I will metamorphose
into a butterfly.”
Just Do It.
Good luck!