Challenges And Opportunities In Visiting And Tenure Track Positions

There are challenges and opportunities in both visiting and tenure track positions. Many faculty members start their teaching career in visiting positions and end up in the tenure stream. In that case the faculty member would be faced with somewhat different set of challenges and opportunities, the subject of this paper. The transition from a visiting position to tenure-track position is a process. For this process to succeed, it requires time management and efforts including a solid long-term plan that starts during the visiting position as well as an effective mentoring program. This paper attempts to address issues related to both visiting and tenure positions including ways a visiting position can best serve a faculty in transition and the importance of a successful mentoring program in ensuring a smooth transition from visiting to tenure and ultimately gaining tenure. The paper also provides suggestions and advice for success to new faculty joining either visiting or tenure track positions.