A study of tenure among allied health faculty.

Most allied health faculty are practitioners who hold a master's degree. Consequently, they may not be prepared to face the rigorous criteria of the tenure system. A study was conducted to identify the demographic characteristics of allied health units, their tenure policies, the criteria for tenure, and any trends in tenure. Deans and directors of 310 allied health units were surveyed and 47.0% responded. In general, allied health tenure policy is drafted by faculty, then sent to the administration for approval. The availability of alternatives to tenure, tenure fractions, and requirements for tenure vary with institutional type. Allied health units reported a tenure fraction of 35.5%, compared to 58.2% for campuses in general. Most of the survey respondents agreed that there is a trend toward increasing the rigor of tenure criteria, and that this trend will come from both within and outside of allied health. As allied health faculty become more involved with research, their tenure fraction will increase and their policies for tenure will more closely conform to those of other units within the parent institution.