Tenure

Today, I received a letter from our dean stating, "I am delighted to inform you that Executive Vice President and Provost, Joseph A. Alutto, has completed the university level reviews for Promotion and Tenure and is recommending you for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with Tenure effective October 1, 2009...Please accept my personal congratulations on this tremendous accomplishment."

In academia, tenure is like a lifetime contract (unless I do something highly illegal). I submitted my tenure materials last August, so it is a very long process. The school faculty has to vote on you (I had unanimous approval there), then the school director has to make a recommendation. The college committee then makes a recommendation to the dean, who in turn makes a recommendation to the provost of the university. Finally, the provost makes a recommendation to the university's board of trustees who ultimately approve the recommendation. I have been extremely anxious over the last several months, even though everyone told me I had nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to feel safe until I heard about the provost's decision. This has obviously been a goal of mine since arriving at Ohio State. I am excited to know that we will be staying in Columbus for the foreseeable future (I will also be getting better football tickets after next season!!!).