The Dwindling Tenure Track Cohort

When I was on the entry-level market some years back, a number of hiring committees used the large cohort of tenure-track faculty at their schools as a selling point, stressing the importance of a shared tenure-track experience as a benefit of choosing them. When I started on the tenure-track, there were five tenure-track faculty at my school which increased to eight at one point before we all started becoming tenured. I was thinking that in the current times of less hiring, schools might be facing much smaller tenure-track cohorts which could feel lonlier and less supportive for new hires. I'm wondering if this will be the case and, if so, if that will put more pressure on external tenure-track networking to fill the void e.g. the SEALS new professors programs and the AALS new professors groups. Do people entering the academy have any thoughts on this? Or any tenured profs who felt that there were particular benefits (or perhaps detriments) to having a large tenure track cohort at their schools during the tenure process?

Comments

[Anon]

I believe it is a huge benefit to have others to walk with during the pre-tenure years. I also think that the availability of networking options depends in large part on the teaching/research of the individual, as some subjects have it and some just don't.