Advice - Full Prof to Professor of Instruction
I’m considering a move from a tenured Full Professor STEM position at a regional public university R1 to a Professor of Instruction / Academic Director-type role at a private R2 institution, and I’m curious how others would evaluate this tradeoff.
A few things I’m weighing:
Current role includes tenure, graduate teaching, research expectations, and an extremely difficult departmental environment.
New role would include a higher salary, more leadership responsibilities, more program building, and significantly better institutional culture/alignment, in a much larger city.
The downside is giving up a traditional tenure-line “Full Professor” identity for a non-tenure instructional/administrative faculty role.
I still care about scholarship and professional engagement, but I’m increasingly drawn toward applied leadership, program development, industry engagement, and teaching impact rather than chasing publications for their own sake.
Also of relevance; In a red state that hates us. Now requiring post-tenure reviews and other policies to ensure compliance with the regime.
For those who have made similar transitions:
Did you regret leaving the tenure-track/research identity?
How are “Professor of Instruction” roles viewed long term?
Did you find the tradeoff worth it in terms of quality of life and professional satisfaction?
Any risks I should think harder about before making the leap?
I’d especially appreciate perspectives from people who moved from traditional faculty roles into leadership-oriented or professionally focused academic positions without the "protection" of tenure.