MOVING TO FRONT FROM YESTERDAY--SOME INTERESTING RESPONSES, MORE COMMENTS WELCOME!
A colleague elsewhere raised this issue in correspondence, and it seems like it might be useful to get some reader reactions. Assume that respondents don't specify why they are declining. At what point should a department draw a negative inference from the fact that respondents are declining requests to do tenure reviews? When 25% of tenure referees decline? 40%? More than 50%?
The concern might be possibly addressed if tenure referees who decline state their reasons for declining, including their opinion of the candidate's work. When I decline, I always state the reason, and if it is because of time and existing commitments, I also indicate my view of the candidate's work if I have one. I have also declined referee requests because I have a low opinion of the work, and don't want to spend time on it. I have not had to say that often, fortunately.
But what do readers think about the original question? And, relatedly, how do you decline requests to be a tenure referee? Do you state your reasons and do you offer an opinion about the work?
