Graboyes went on to add, “Tenure is only granted to professors who are hired into an ongoing/tenure-track position (as opposed to a temporary appointment with a start and end date) and only if they obtain a terminal degree in their field of study, which is usually a Ph.D.”

However, some disciplines have additional guidelines not listed in the UPS 210 document that faculty must fulfill in order to satisfy the six-year probationary tenure-track requirements.

As Graboyes pointed out, “Biology would have different needs than someone in the arts, for example.”

If a tenure-track faculty member does not receive tenure, then they must leave. They are given a “terminal year,” which is one additional year to teach before having to leave.

“It would affect anyone’s pride (to not get tenure),” said Graboyes. “The faculty work so hard. I respect them so much; they put so much into it. It’s their life. It is very important.”

Tenure-track faculty are required to keep track of their teaching, research and service in a Portfolio – three separate binders provided by Faculty Affairs and Records. According to a document titled “Preparing Your RTP Portfolio” found on the Faculty Affairs and Records Web site, “Non Teaching Faculty (Library and Counseling) are evaluated based on their performance in the position/profession in place of teaching.”

Dr. Lana Dalley, an assistant and tenure-track professor of English at CSUF, described typical documents found within the Portfolio. Published articles and/or books fall under the research umbrella, while lesson plans, syllabi, student opinion questionnaires, and a minimum of two teaching observations can be found in the teaching section. Documentation of service, both on campus and in the surrounding community, can include agendas from meetings. Dalley, who is on Academic Senate and the adviser for Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society at CSUF, includes paperwork from both meetings into her Portfolio.

Dr. Mostafa Shiva, chair and professor of the Electrical Engineering Department, has had tenure “for a long time. I would say 15 years, maybe more.” He said it is not easy to get tenure; there are a lot of requirements to satisfy. “UPS is the main document. Some departments and colleges have their own rules that cannot violate UPS, but it can add to it. For electrical engineering, we follow UPS. We don’t have anything extra (to do).”