Texas Law Firm Provides Tenure Revocation Defense

San Marcos Attorneys Protect the Rights of Tenured Faculty

One of the biggest misconceptions about tenure is that once a faculty member achieves it, they have a job for life (or as long as they want it). In reality, it is fairly common for tenured faculty to get fired, although due process procedures are in place to protect them from dismissal without appropriate cause.

What is Tenure?

Tenure is a lifetime contract with no expiration date, meaning that reappointment is not required to continue in a position. But tenure also specifies the reasons that an institution can use to terminate the employment of a tenured faculty member, and describes the firing process. Although each university has a slightly different policy for tenure, most have adopted the basic processes first put in place by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in 1940.

Causes for Firing a Tenured Faculty Member

Most of the causes related to the termination of a tenured faculty member are related to:

• Incompetence – a faculty member’s inability to perform their primary job functions, such as teaching classes and grading papers.
• Negligence – the failure of a faculty member to exercise due care in the performance of their duties, including repeatedly missing class, declining to issue grades, and failing to perform the most basic requirements of the job.
• Immoral/personal conduct – abuse, sexual harassment, fraud, criminal activity, research misconduct, or plagiarism.
• Financial Exigency – an imminent financial crisis that threatens the survival of the institution as a whole.

Despite the belief of many that tenured faculty have a job for life, the fact is they can be fired for just cause. But if you have been let go for reasons that do not necessarily constitute appropriate cause, you may have a case for improper revocation of tenure.

Contact an Experienced Central Texas Tenure Revocation Attorney Today

If you are a tenured faculty member who was terminated for something less than just cause, contact our firm online or call (512) 392-5010 to schedule your free initial consultation with one of our attorneys today.