Tenure: viable or a dinosaur?

This article discusses the history of tenure in academia as well as the current pros and cons of the tenure system. A review of nursing and non-nursing literature reveals that the most important goal confronting the nation's universities and colleges today is to find more creative ways to define scholarly work and incorporate it into promotion and tenure guidelines. The author presents arguments for and against tenure, reviews the impact of tenure in nursing, and offers recommendations and solutions to the tenure dilemma in nursing.