Choosing the road less traveled: Alternatives to the tenure track

Tenure has been traditionally held up as the "Holy Grail" for those in academia - however, some new faculty make a conscious choice to pursue non-traditional academic roles. In this paper, three new engineering educators relate how their interests, priorities, and family situations led them to seek out non-tenure track faculty positions and candidly discuss the benefits as well as the drawbacks of the paths they have taken. The objective of the paper is to help both prospective and current faculty become aware of the non-tenure track role as a valid and rewarding career path.

Duke Scholars

Author Ann Saterbak Biomedical Engineering