A delicate balance: responsible evaluation, tenure review, and the pursuit of institutional innovation

Abstract

Evaluation is central to current science policy debates and is often perceived as a barrier to making research more socially relevant. At the same time, some universities have sought to become more socially embedded and responsive to public demands. In this study, focusing on a US university with a strong innovative profile, we examine how the tenure and promotion review process accommodates an institutional shift toward interdisciplinarity and social impact. Our findings, based on documentary analysis and interviews, show that new institutional goals permeated the process without the need for reforms in criteria or procedures. Tenure review is not necessarily an obstacle to the balance that the institution should strike between tradition and innovation in order to present itself as a new model for American higher education. Our results also underscore the importance of a responsible evaluation agenda that is sensitive to diverse contexts for its discourse to resonate effectively.