Deepa Das Acevedo, associate professor at Emory Law, argues that tenure serves four distinct functions in higher education.
Academic freedom ranks first. Professors need job protection to teach, research, and publish controversial or unpopular ideas without fear of job loss, Acevedo writes. This protection enables both teaching and scholarship that may require engagement with contentious material.
Recruitment comes second. Acevedo notes that tenure likely spread when universities faced professor shortages after World War II. Administrators offered job security when they could not match industry salaries. Today, the financial case for academic work has worsened, with professors in many disciplines taking pay cuts and risking long-term financial damage. Tenure remains a tool to attract qualified scholars.
Knowledge production and professional training constitute a third rationale. Research is slow and risky. Universities dominate pre-commercial research and train most people capable of producing knowledge. Tenure incentivizes scholars to pursue lengthy, expensive education for lower-paying jobs focused on problems with uncertain results and no market demand. Universities also train professionals in law, medicine, and other fields. Tenure helps sustain this system while universities underpay highly credentialed workers.
Fourth, tenure enables institutional operations. Shared governance allows employees to pursue institutional or professional good despite peer pressure. Acevedo argues this benefits the institution more than the employee, particularly as universities must persuade students and sponsors of research excellence and capacity for personal growth.
On limits, Acevedo distinguishes between clear prohibitions and autonomy. Tenure does not shield professors from consequences of illegal or unethical behavior including sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment, fraud, or theft. However, Acevedo argues professors need latitude to define their jobs but not complete autonomy. She uses Michel DeGraff's case at MIT as an example. DeGraff, an expert on Creole languages, taught a class on linguistics and decolonization in Israel/Palestine despite colleague objections that it fell outside his field. Acevedo suggests credentials poorly measure expertise because expertise evolves through lifelong learning. DeGraff may possess the needed expertise even without formal credentials.
Acevedo concludes that professors are workers who need substantial autonomy and job security to perform their roles, but not unlimited freedom. Tenure and the people it protects both matter.