As anyone who has gone through it knows, getting tenure is an extremely intensive process. There are multiple reviews, committees, and meetings to determine who will get tenure. This process can be further complicated by the use of paper documents. Those who get tenure are at the highest level of academia, and at this level there really should be more advanced procedures than paper systems in place. 

In fact, if external individuals or organizations note that a university is still using an out-dated tenure process, it may hurt their reputation as a forward-thinking institution.

This is just one of many problems:

  • Paper systems are not attractive to faculty. Tenure committees are an additional responsibility for already swamped individuals. Paper systems end up hurting everybody, as they slow down the process for all involved.
  • Paper records, due to their nature, enforce a cap on how quickly tasks can be done. If there is just one master copy; only one person can have access to the document at any given time. On the other hand, if multiple copies are made for multiple individuals then work may end up being repeated and lead to discrepancies and confusion.
  • Paper records are notoriously vulnerable to damage and loss. Committee members may take a document home and forget where they put it. This can introduce delays until the document is located but also lead to work having to be redone if the document cannot be found. A frustrating process for everyone. 
  • With no data on how the tenure process is being conducted, it is nearly impossible to optimize it. There may be simple things causing significant delays and issues, but without data, these issues cannot be identified and fixed. A challenge can come up repeatedly without resolution of the actual problem.
  • Some applicants may choose a university based on the ease of its tenure process. If your process is very cumbersome, you may be missing out on great teachers and researchers. 

These issues, though they may seem minor, can have far-reaching consequences on a university’s success. It is the classic snowball effect of little things adding up and leading to big issues. If a school can’t provide a good process at its highest level, these issues can trickle down and complicate everything.

Ricoh knows this and can design an efficient and effective tenure system, so you never have these problems.

Getting Rid of the Smallest Snowball

We are experts in preventing even the smallest of snowballs from getting out of control.

  • We deploy a sophisticated enterprise content management (ECM) system to store all documents during a tenure process. Not only are documents stored on this system, but committee members can also make comments on applications directly through the system. 
  • We know that modern users like to work from all of their devices– be it a tablet, phone, or laptop. Our systems are designed, such that users can do what they need using their device of choice from wherever they are.
  • Our system is extremely secure and recoverable. This not only protects against cyber-attacks, but also provides an opportunity to recover and retrieve information that may have been accidentally deleted.
  • We can implement efficient automated business processes. Through these processes, committee members can receive alerts automatically when their input is needed or when a deadline is coming up. Tenure applicants can also receive automatic alerts about their application status, which increases transparency and reduces stress for all parties concerned. 

Having such a process in place helps everybody: committee members can do their work more quickly and more easily; applicants receive answers faster; and the university gains a better reputation, while also improving its overall bottom line. 

Our solutions have marked benefits over traditional tenure processes. Additionally, we provide extensive support, should you have any questions. We partner with you to deliver the right solution for your needs.

Visit www.ricoh.ca/education and call a Ricoh representative today to advance the perceptions of your institution.

Talk to a Ricoh representative about how you can make tenure easy. Contact us at educationsolutions@ricoh.ca.

Finally, please do keep in mind that Ricoh is not providing legal advice or ensuring legal compliance with any law, regulation, by-law or any other legislative requirement with respect to the content of this communication. It is the customer’s responsibility to obtain advice of competent legal counsel to ensure its compliance with such requirements.