Since I have been consumed with this lately, I thought I would blog about my approaching request for tenure. Tenure is a right, granted to professors to teach in an environment where they needn’t fear retribution for the content of their teaching. Academic freedom is the catch phrase that is used to justify this practice. Tenure gives the faculty member protection from job-related repercussions of the content of their teaching, and (theoretically) can not be taken away.
Essentially it boils down to the idea that faculty (or certain administrators) cannot be fired for what they teach or who they cross in the day to day responsibilities of their employment. Tenured faculty can only be terminated for grossly abusing their responsibilities as professors (not showing up for work, or continued practice of detrimental dealings with students) or due to extreme financial hardship on the university (which happened to some tenured faculty in Louisiana after Katrina). It has also been declared in the case of at least one Baptist college.
Although there is much discussion on both sides, I (unsurprisingly) think that it is an important (if severely flawed) instrument. It frees faculty to express thoughts and opinions that can goad institutions or the larger society in important directions. I also think that it is this reason that it is virtually nonexistent at institutions connected to the Southern Baptist Convention. Although Art has recently discussed the concept of academic freedom at SBC seminaries, but the reality is that it has been diminishing for years at SBC insitutions.
In my case, working at a state insisution provides me more freedom than my colleague at many Baptist colleges and more than at all seminaries.
But how do you ensure that tenure is not awarded improperly or to the undeserving? Some thoughts tomorrow…
2 comments:
My first exposure to tenure was as an undergrad. I complained about one of my professors to the chairman of the department. I think it was the first time I had seen an adult (not at a sporting event) pitch a fit.
Apparently, I was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
The chair couldn't do anything about my tyrannical prof so I was transferred out of the class and enrolled in "independent study" with the chair supervising my work.
Bobby--God has sent you to be a goad in my side...yea even a thorn in my flesh.
Bowden--I did mention that it was severely flawed, right? Kudos for complaining to the chair though. Most students generally hunker down and suffer through when they have a bad prof.
There are ways to motivate even tenued faculty however. Not signing reimbursement requests and scheduling late Monday night classes followed by early Tuesday morning classes come to mind.
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