Fewer and fewer institutions have tenured professorships these days, for three reasons I can think of: - The pension plans that typically go with long-term emp

Fewer and fewer institutions have tenured professorships these days, for three reasons I can think of: - The pension plans that typically go with long-term employment like tenured professorships are expensive. - Tenure gives professors a protected position and more political power, which is threatening to administrators. - Exactly the reason this article addresses: institutions want to light a fire under people to force them to optimize for the amount of grant money they pull in, rather than for scientific achievement, or (gasp) quality of life. The context of the story suggests that he was not one of the lucky ones, although it is possible that he was, and the university was going to fire him on grounds of some breach of contract or with the argument that he was otherwise breaching his duties as a professor by failing to bring in money.