Tongji University abolishes faculty tenure, imposes periodic reviews
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Tongji University in Shanghai has abolished faculty tenure and replaced permanent appointments with periodic assessments. The decision, announced in a notice issued at the end of July, requires pre-tenure faculty to be reviewed every three years and tenured faculty every six years. The move has unsettled Chinese academia, with experts calling it an earthquake in the country's higher education system.
Key Facts
- Tongji University is among the 36 Class A universities in China's Double First Class excellence initiative, launched in 2017.
- Pre-tenure faculty at Tongji will be reviewed every three years, while tenured faculty must undergo a full assessment every six years and an interim review every three years.
- Those who fail their assessment could face pay cuts, demotion or dismissal.
- Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the universities of Bristol and Oxford, called the change 'an earthquake in Chinese academia'.
- Futao Huang, professor at Hiroshima University, warned the reforms could increase anxiety and encourage short-term publishing strategies.
The Tenure Abolition
Tongji University in Shanghai has abolished faculty tenure and replaced permanent appointments with periodic assessments. According to a notice issued at the end of July, pre-tenure faculty will be reviewed every three years, while tenured faculty must undergo a full assessment every six years and an interim review every three years. Those who fail their assessment could face pay cuts, demotion or even dismissal. Tongji is among the 36 Class A universities in the Chinese government's Double First Class excellence initiative, launched in 2017.
Academic Community Reaction
Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the universities of Bristol and Oxford, said the intervention marked 'an important development'. Marginson described the proposed change as 'an earthquake in Chinese academia' but was not convinced it would lead to improved academic performance. He said it would make it harder for universities to hold on to established high performers and put off early career researchers. Futao Huang, professor at the Research Institute for Higher Education at Hiroshima University, cautioned that the reforms could seriously weaken the security tenure is intended to provide. Huang added that depending on assessment criteria, the reforms could increase anxiety, encourage short-term publishing strategies and make academic careers less attractive.
Unresolved Details
Many details about Tongji's announcement are yet to be fleshed out. The university has not confirmed what the assessment criteria for academics will be, including whether it will focus on research, teaching or both.
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Tongji University abolishes faculty tenure, imposes periodic reviews
