ON THE LINE is an interactive workshop built around a living case study that actively engages participants in examining the dynamics and tensions that shape tenure and promotion decisions. Through a realistic and nuanced portrayal of a department’s executive committee deliberating the case of a junior faculty member, the session surfaces the subtle forces that influence evaluation, interpretation, and judgment.
In the first half of the workshop, professional actors present a complex scenario that highlights issues such as informal influence, shifting criteria, disciplinary norms, workload distribution, research valuation, collegiality, and ambiguity in standards. The portrayal invites participants to observe how decision-making unfolds in real time.
The facilitated dialogue that follows moves from observation to intervention. Participants identify points of leverage within both formal processes and informal dynamics, and practice concrete strategies for promoting fairness, transparency, and procedural integrity in tenure and promotion deliberations.
Faculty and academic leaders leave with practical strategies for:
- Clarifying formal and informal tenure criteria
- Recognizing how assumptions and disciplinary norms shape evaluation
- Managing discussion and conflict within executive or review committees
- Distinguishing collegiality from conformity
- Intervening constructively when standards are inconsistently applied
- Strengthening documentation, transparency, and procedural safeguards
- Supporting junior faculty navigating tenure expectations
Available in-person and Zoom.