What exactly does Tenure mean?

[Maureen Bonatch MSN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I feel like I should know the answer to this question, so I have been too embarrased to ask it. I am looking at a position (as a new educator) at a BSN college and I have never been quite sure what it would mean to be tenure. maureen

[ChiaLing]

My understanding of tenure is that once you have it (have tenure), your job is secure. It's a sort of job protection, I think. Once you have tenure, your job is protected - you'd have to really screw up something big to get fired, and you don't have to worry about whether your research "pleases the administration"...

Of course, getting tenure may be a struggle in itself. My father is a tenured professor and he's told me that the process of getting tenure can be stressful. Before he was evaluated for tenure, he had to do research and weave his way through office politics (some if it might depend on whether you get along with the people who approve tenure status). But now that he's tenured, he's not worried about losing his job - he's pretty much set until he decides to retire.

Perhaps other people who actually have been through the process would be able to give a clearer description?