Tenure, according to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), “is an arrangement whereby faculty members, after successful completion of a period of probationary service, can be dismissed only for adequate cause or other possible circumstances and only after a hearing before a faculty committee” (“Tenure,” n.d.). While this may sound quite simple and straightforward, tenure is a concept that has been met with much debate, especially over the past several years. “Some institutions and administrators contend that tenure is an antiquated system that imposed inflexible burdens on the academy, and may foster – or even encourage mediocrity” (Hill, 2010, p. 112). Schools have spent a great deal of effort looking for ways to institute, improve, or even eliminate tenure policies at their institutions.
“The goal of tenure is to create a contractual relationship between a professor and the college or university that is enforceable in a court of law” (Cameron, 2010, p. 1). It is also a “means to a certain ends,” according to the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure (the “1940 Statement”), published by the AAUP (p. 3). Namely, these ends are: “…freedom of teaching and research and of extramural activities, and (2) a sufficient degree of economic security to make the profession to men and women of ability” (p. 3). But is tenure necessary for these things to occur? Shouldn’t any professional have the right to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, without fear of wrongful termination, and be able to have economic security while doing those jobs?
While most people, including me, would answer “yes” to wanting all professionals to do their jobs well, be paid appropriately, and have some s...
... middle of paper ...
....pdf
National Education Association (n.d.). The truth about tenure in higher education. Retrieved from www.nea.org/home/33067.htm
O’Neil, R. M. (2006). Limits of freedom: The Ward Churchill case. Change, 38(5), 34-41.
Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=4ccbd3bd-7cda-4cc4-b6df-9093d45bacf8%40sessionmgr4002&vid=5&hid=4113 Schmidt, P. (2013). Well-marked paths to tenure put new professors at ease. Chronicle of Higher
Education, 59(43), A6-A7.
The Johns Hopkins University v. Ritter, 689 A.2d 91 (1996). Retrieved from http://www. leagle.com/decision/1996780689A2d91_1773 Williams, J. (1999). The other politics of tenure. College Literature, 26(3). 226-241. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=
13&sid=812f42e0-2f00-4bfd-945f-6387c61d4122%40sessionmgr113&hid=109
One of the facts of modern life is that a relatively small class of people works very long hours and earns good money for its efforts. Nearly a third of college-educated American men, for example, work more than 50 hours a week. Some professionals do twice that amount, and elite lawyers can easily work 70 hours a week almost every week of the year." What I see from this is nothing more than people only working long hours to receive good pay. That doesn’t mean they enjoy what they’re doing and for me I 'd rather be happy working and making decent pay then work stressful long hours and be unhappy just to receive a bigger
For over fifteen years at Weston University, Dr. Powers operated from a human resource view, providing the faculty with security and stable working conditions (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 16). As a result, the leader's authority is derived from making sure that the faculty's individual needs are the highest priority, rendering a servant leader as a pushover (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 56). The contrast of leadership styles is primary problem in this case. Dr. Power's longtime human resource frame to Dr. Ball's new structural frame following a set of rules governing performance that utilizes a hierarchy of offices (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 46).
Money is still the underlying factor of employee performance, and that’s not to say that noncash factors such as flexible work schedules or casual dress codes can help well. Competitive compensation still attracts and retains top talent.
- Kelley, A. Mark. "AAMC Group on Faculty Practice Annual Symposium." Profile of HFHS (2011): n. pag.Aamc. Web. 24 May 2014.
Financial exigency in the higher education industry is an equivalent to bankruptcy in the corporate world. Term Financial Exigency first appeared in 1920s in the draft of the Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure of the Association of American Colleges (Berube, 2013, p.7) as a condition when it is possible to terminate tenured faculty. At that time, there was no clear definition or concise circumstances when universities can declare a state of financial exigency. Since then, this phenomenon has been covered in more details. In this paper, I will define financial exigency, its declaration process, causes, and possible short and long-term consequences and demonstrate it on the example of the University of Louisiana
Hoeft, Mary. "Professors in the Crosshairs | Inside Higher Ed." Professors in the Crosshairs Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The author's purpose is supported by explaining key issues of showering students with As. I believe that institutions should return to valuing the grading system so that those graduating can effectively utilize their earned degrees. Also, Staples asserts, "Individual professors inflate grades after consumer-conscious administrators hound them into it. Professors at every level inflate to escape negative evaluations by students, whose opinions now figure in tenure and promotion decisions" (Pg. 1065). At this point in the text, Staples talks the vulnerability of the teachers showcase to please students in order to satisfy their own needs. I find it quite ironic how teachers endure many years of schooling, only to prepare the future educators, nurses, and doctors to value their own salary and career opportunities. Additionally, with the student's opinions now being factored in toward promotion decisions, professors are now more lenient than ever to relinquish passing grades to all
Professors with tenure, contend Hacker and Dreifus, are not motivated to perform well and therefore will engage the students in the way Hacker and Dreifus believe they should. To correct this, Hacker and Dreifus advocate for tenures to be replaced with multiyear contracts to ensure professors work hard for their own benefit and for the benefit of the students’. Keep the teachers in the classrooms inspiring young minds rather than taking unnecessary paid vacations, assert Hacker and Dreifus, who believe sabbaticals should be limited. Hacker and Dreifus also agree that adjunct teachers, professors who teach at a college but do not receive the same benefits as their peers who are, in fact, faculty members, should receive similar benefits. Capitalizing on adjunct teachers should be discouraged, demand the authors. Presidents of colleges, on the other hand, should receive less, more reasonable compensation for their
Edmundson states, "professors don't pay full-bore attention to teaching, they don't have to work very hard-they've created a massive feather bed for themselves and called it a university" (Edmundson 408). I think by this, Edmundson means that professors feel like once their job is secure at their institute, they do not truly focus on the essential purpose of their job; to educate others. This is one problem that I have faced personally and another reason why I relate to this article. In the beginning of my first semester, I took a course where the professor would show up, lecture for the full duration, then dismiss us. The problem with this is that professors do not engage with their students, they lecture about the information but do not help us to understand the information that they are telling us. As Edmundson further explains, these types of professors are not ambitious, they secure their job at a university and feel as if they do not have to fully apply their teaching ability, just assign the coursework on the syllabus and expect the students to get it done. If we, as students, were to "fight" our school, we would target those select teachers who feel that just lecturing in class would suffice as
While this is a good point, let's not forget about the positives. Just one example is that gender discrimination is at it’s lowest point yet in America, right now. It is also true that the main reasons to why tenure was created in the first place is no longer as important now-a-days. Therefore, in conclusion, tenure is very out of date and should not be tolerated any
Tenure is a policy that has been designed to protect teachers from false accusations and various injustices that may take place throughout ones career. For example, one of the rights afforded a tenured teacher is they cannot be discriminated against based on their personal views or belief systems outside of the educational arena. Also, they cannot be terminated without full due process. Tenure will not, however, protect educators who are incapable, ineffective, or are in violation of school board rules (Essex, 2012).
...heir instruction, they they should stay in the field or in the labortory where their energy is concentrated. Quit wasting the time and money of the students and give college instructors the fair evaluations they deserve. Set standards for their positions and hold them accountable for skills in teaching, not just their content knowledge.
American Association of University Professors (2006). Termination and discipline. Retrieved from May 8, 2014, from:
Nathan, R. (2005). My freshman year: what a professor learned by becoming a student. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Everyone has a breaking point and the fact that some people may be able to handle certain job types more than others does not excuse employers from having a duty to the health and welfare of their employees.