A tenured professor is given a lifelong appointment at a university. Many college professors go through a lengthy process of getting published in noteworthy academic publications and securing research grants for their university in order to be considered. A professor must bring a new and challenging perspective to her area of research at the university, which brings the school more recognition. Tenured professors often have more control over the course content and curriculum that is taught in their classes.
Many tenured professors retire without any revocation of their tenure at their university. However, in certain instances, there are professors who have lost their tenure due to misconduct. This is not a speedy process and it is a very rare instance to have tenure revoked. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, an average of 50 college professors around the country have their tenure revoked per year. Misconduct includes but is not limited to threatening acts or violence towards students or other faculty. Although tenure generally allows professors to be protected, in other circumstances a position may be eliminated and thus effectively remove the tenured faculty member.
It is no secret in academic circles that many college professors face immense pressure from their superiors to continuously publish academic articles frequently, or risk losing their position and the possibility of earning a tenured position. The "Publish or Perish" mantra places many up-and-coming professors under pressure and this has been criticized by many organizations who seek to reform the tenure process. Professors who are seeking to become tenured should be aware of the pressure to publish scholarly articles on a continuous basis, even after earning a tenured position.
The pressure to earn tenure and the fear of the loss of it can make some individuals resort to acts of violence. Cases have been reported where some professors have used physical violence, intimidation and murder once they have discovered that they have been rejected for tenure. This has many groups calling for the revamping of the tenure process, in the hopes of avoiding further acts of violence by disgruntled professors.