Black Friday: U. of Chicago Prof/Blogger/Red Sox Fan Denied Tenure

Red Sox fan Daniel W. Drezner had a rough day on Friday:  not only were the Red Sox swept by the White Sox, but he was denied tenure by the University of Chicago's Political Science Department.  He speculates on the role of his blog in the tenure denial:

The very first words I wrote on this blog were: "I shouldn't be doing this. I'll be going up for tenure soon." This is a theme that I’ve touched on several times since then. The point is, I can’t say I didn’t go into this with my eyes open. That said, if one assumes that the opportunity cost of blogging (e.g., better or more scholarship) was the difference between tenure and no tenure – an unclear assertion at best – then it’s a tough call. From a strict cost-benefit analysis, one could argue that the doors that blogging opened could have been deferred for a few years in return for the annuity of a tenured position at Chicago. That said, if I did things only for the money, I never would have entered the academy in the first place. And I’ve enjoyed the psychic rewards of blogging way too much to regret my choice.

Blogosphere commentary:

• Ethan Leib (PrawfsBlawg):  One More Reason Political Science Ph.Ds Should Teach in Law Schools:  "Given the man's output and influence, it would be unimaginable that he'd have been denied tenure by almost any law school."
• Juan Non-Volokh (The Volokh Conspiracy):  Drezner's Denial and Academic Blogging:  "An obvious question is what, if any, impact Drezner's blogging had on his tenure vote. ...I've often heard academics disparage non-academic writing in terms that suggest it could be a negative in the tenure process, irrespective of the quality of academic work under review. This is one of the reasons I've blogged under a pseudonym -- and will at least until my own tenure vote -- as I want my file, and the work therein, judged on the merits. In my view, that I spend some of my free time blogging is no more relevant to the process than a colleagues' decision to spend his or her time attending theater, performing in dance recitals, or raising children, but there is no guarantee that one's colleagues will agree. Given the stakes involved -- and I suspect they are greater for those lower down the food chain than the University of Chicago -- I decided it was not worth the risk."
• Michael Rappaport (The Right Coast):  Alas:  "Daniel Drezner has been denied tenure at the University of Chicago, the second such denial to an academic blogger. This is sad. Is it blogging or is it the University of Chicago, which in law and in other areas is known as an extremely tough place to get tenure. In both cases, neither person realized that there was a real chance of this happening."
• Glenn Reynolds (InstaPundit):  "A Dreadful Lapse in Judgment at the University of Chicago, where Daniel Drezner has been denied tenure. Tenure denials, while dreaded, aren't career-enders and I expect that Dan will flourish elsewhere, perhaps in a warmer and more hospitable climate. Nonetheless, this sucks. Advice to people elsewhere: Grab Drezner while you can!"
• Tom Smith (The Right Coast):  Tenure Woes:  "Like Professor Rappaport, I was dismayed to read that Daniel Dreszner was denied tenure at Chicago (political science). It's true that being denied tenure at Chicago is hardly a career ender. It seems likely he will still end up at some prestigious university and go on to have a distinguished career....Should untenured academics blog? I certainly would not advise it, at least not copiously and on controversial, political topics, at institutions that regularly deny tenure (which excludes most law schools). Of course elder professors who think the internet has something to do with computers will be appalled by it."