A Comparison of Two Private University Faculties’ Perspectives of Using Collegiality in Tenure and Promotion Decisions

Abstract

Some faculty members feel that collegiality is a de facto requirement for tenure and promotion. However, collegiality remains a controversial subject in terms of using it as a criterion in tenure and promotion decisions and the ability of faculty members to challenge it in court as an unacceptable criterion appears to be wasted effort. This pilot study of using collegiality in tenure and promotion decisions was launched to discover what features faculty members consider important for collegiality and the proportion who believe it should be considered in the tenure and promotion process. Using the Collegiality Climate Scale as a measure of collegiality, the study compared faculty perspectives at two private Christian universities, one located in the Southwest United States and one in the Southeast. The study revealed a relativity high level of collegiality among faculty at both universities. However, there were some areas of low scores on the scales. The vast majority of faculty at both universities (74.6% Southwest, 77.5% Southeast) favored using collegiality as a criterion for tenure and promotion decisions. Objections to using collegiality as a criterion centered on two elements: (1) that other factors, such as productivity, scholarship, and excellence in teaching, are more appropriate criteria for promotion and tenure, not collegiality, and (2) the difficulty of measuring individual collegiality.