Assessment, performance indicators, changes in accreditation, performance funding, Total Quality Management, and many other processes call for higher education to provide evidence of performance. Performance measures are being redefined at more levels each year. And posttenure review of faculty members performance is one way to hold higher education accountable to its constituents.
Many individuals suggest that posttenure review undermines academic freedom and tenure.
Others believe posttenure review can enhance faculty performance by ensuring more systematic and comprehensive feedback. And still others argue for posttenure faculty development. But faculty development is often noted as a clich , meeting all the challenges presented to higher education, whether diversity, technology, or globalization. A palpable tension exists between interpreting posttenure review as a measure of accountability or development. There is more agreement that some posttenure review system, aimed at faculty development rather than accountability, is a needed strategy for improving performance.