What does it mean when a university professor gets "tenure"?
480585
Tenure is the system in which professors (at the university level)—and in some jurisdictions schoolteachers (at primary or secondary school levels)—are granted the right not to be dismissed without cause after an initial probationary period. Tenure systems are usually justified by the claim that they provide academic freedom, by preventing instructors from being dismissed for openly disagreeing with authorities or popular opinion.
1040239
Most unis will hire you to lecture only if you have a PhD or a postdoc, but it depends how desperate they are and how well you know your stuff. Usually they want to see that you have already done some tutoring as an adjunct to a unit of study already, e.g. they want to see you have some experience in lecturing. Also, ask your university professors or lecturers. They will give you a much better idea than I can.
1027093
Earning of a University professor depend upon several things:\n\n1) the location of the institution. For example: if it is an Ivy League school like Harvard, or Yale, for example, earnings may be higher in the same subject area of a professor from a small midwestern univeristy.\n\n2) The subject area taught: Polymers, science, business bring in donors and big bucks= more money for profs\n\n3) the status of the Prof: is he/she new to the profession? Then, the salary will be lower. If he/she has been at it several years and has published and served on committes= more money\n\nA lot of the salary depends on whether or not the prof has published. The key to tenure is publish, publish, publish.\n\nFor more information check out the Occupation Outlook Handbook.
1098804
I'd just like to point out that it's summer, and many professors are currently out of the country doing research, traveling, etc.\n\nFor example, right now, in my 10-person department, only 3 of us are actually in the US, and only 2 of us are in our offices on a regular basis (we're teaching summer classes).  \n\nYour best bet, if you get no response from the professor or the department chair after one more try, is to CALL the department office and talk to the administrative staff.  They can tell you when the professor and the department chair will be reachable.\n\nBest wishes to you.
338353
My wife is a professor and it's not the type of thing you do simply because you majored in it; most have a deep lifelong commitment to their field to create knowledge and educate others. A PhD is basically a research degree; those that work at a University are required to research and publish. Teaching is only a portion of the job. Often, your average professor, must divide their time between teaching, research and service to the University (serving on panels, and review boards, student organizations, etc...)
793051
means your efforts are pleasing to the professor, teacher, instructor or whom ever.
956486
1.  It's quite common for professors not to return exams.  I've taken courses at 3 different schools, from community college to graduate school, and I've had professors do this at all 3 institutions.  It's also the policy for the courses I teach.  \n\n2.  As the other responses have mentioned, it's done largely because professors will either use the same exam, or similar exams, in different quarters.  Thus, if the exams are readily available, it inflates students' grades in subsequent semesters rather than giving an accurate measure of their progress in the course.  All the professors (and myself as a TA) who have done this do make the exams available for students who wish to see them by coming into their office and discussing the scores.\n\n3.  While storage space is nice, keeping the exams has the added benefit of protecting both the professor and the student.  If the student challenges their grade, the professor will have the exams handy to check for possible errors.  If the student has the test and loses it, then it simply becomes a matter of he-said, she-said thus creating much hassle for both.  As for boosting marks, that does nothing to increase the reputation of the university, and probably in fact would diminish that reputation.  Think about it:  if all the students get excellent grades because old exams are readily available for them to copy, that doesn't say much about the abilities of the students, except perhaps that they need to be spoon-fed in order to succeed.
370946
I'm a research fellow, and I get paid by a university to do research. For example, researching new online phenomena such as Yahoo Answers! \n\nLucky me! Paid to do what I enjoy!!\n\n:D\n\nPS-What the other poster describes is actually a research assistant, not fellow. Fellows generally are not required to do research for anyone but themselves.
844508
It's called tenure and teachers also have to go through a performance review by their supervisors, other teachers, and students.  It is still in effect to my knowledge, mostly at colleges and universities.
969202
I can tell you for a fact that tenured and tenure-track professors do NOT get paid to supervise independent studies (which are called "individual projects" at your school).  And adjuncts are usually not asked to supervise independent studies, since they DO get paid by the class, and a "class" with one student does not count.\n\nFull-time instructors, assistant, associate, and full professors get paid an annual salary.  Most departments encourage us to take on independent studies with highly motivated students, but most do not require that we do so.  When we take on an independent study, we add it to our CV, acknowledging that we did this work.   \n\nBasically, I agree to do them if I have the time that semester, and decline if I do not.  I am more likely to agree to do one if :\n- the student is a major or minor\n- I have had the student in class before\n- the student is highly motivated\n- the student is strong academically.\n\nAs a matter of fact, I am delighted to do independent studies with students like this.   It is a pleasure to provide them with an opportunity to explore a field of interest independently, and (often) in greater depth than could be achieved in a formal classroom. \n\nSo -- don't hesitate to ask your professors to supervise an independent study.  Just realize that not every professor will be willing or able to accommodate your request.  And keep in mind that some will be delighted to do so.
747531
Titles usually come once the thesis is finished. What your prof probably wants is a clear, concise theory statement.
334630
Doctor of Philosophy.  That's normally what you need to be a college professor.  A lot of them also work in research.  \nYou have to write something called a dissertation, and it is very detailed and specific.  This is a research degree.  Committees of professors have to approve it all.  Usually takes a couple of years past the masters.  If you go straight for PhD with a bachelors, it will take longer to get it than if you already  have a master's.
45445
Tenure is one thing that has been helpful, but it's becoming less available in many states.  So, I would say this.  Do your job well, gain admiration and support from your administrators, colleagues, and the parents of your students, and you'll likely be begged to stay when you're announcing your plans to retire.\n\nBear in mind.  There is a REAL teacher shortage out there, and it is wide spread.  Unless your performance is sheer unacceptable, you're not likely going to be pushed out of the job.
848490
Good question, but interstingly, it has been part of the protocol for a long, long time.  Maybe a better way of putting it would be to provide opportunity for more "in-depth" Q & A, as well as other interested parties to come to the "defense" and ask questions. When I "defended" my thesis, I was required to send notice inviting all of the faculty and grad students to come...no one did, of course.
381481
Over the entirety of my career thus far, I have taught at four colleges, interviewed at seven, and visited dozens more.  Not ONE has had such a thing.  \n\nProfessors *within* a department have faculty meetings (often weekly), usually in a classroom or seminar room convenient to their offices.  Sometimes, one professor (usually the department chair) has a larger office, and sometimes a few professors end up in there during the chair's office hours just chatting.\n\nThe only places for faculty members to meet with faculty *outside* their department are at social occasions, at lectures, at dinners (usually held and funded by some university administrators), or at seminars designed by the university's administration to be interdepartmental.\n\nLet me give you some quick examples.\nI see the other members of my department on a daily basis, sometimes in the department office while we're xeroxing things, checking our mailboxes, or waiting to speak with the administrative assistants.  Sometimes, at random times during the week, two or three of us end up talking to our department chair in her office.\n\nI meet weekly with all members of my department in faculty meetings in a seminar room in our building.\n\nI meet every other week with a group of faculty from lots of different departments in what is called a "Faculty Learning Community," which is a group funded by the administration.  There are about 10 of us, all from different areas of the university.  We are all volunteers, and we gather to work on a project of benefit to the university.\n\nIf this helps, I hope to get a gig as a consultant when your film is produced by a major studio!\n\nBest wishes.
755684
It means people who are local to the area and not those who wish to have a property in the area as a holiday place. It also means those on a low wage.\n\nGuarantor means somebody signing to say they will vouch for you/pay the rent should you cease to pay.\n\nhttp://www.clickdocs.co.uk/glossary/guarantor.htm
899809
emeriti \n\n(singular form emeritus, which you often hear said of a retired professor)