It’s time to re-examine the awarding of tenure

OPINION

Tenure — the Holy Grail of academia — is under attack, not from critics of higher education, but an individual who is one of the highest profiled administrators in the nation today.

About a month ago, Dr. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State University, suggested that it’s time to re-examine how professors are awarded tenure. In terms which individuals outside the Ivory Tower can comprehend but may never experience, tenure provides virtual job-for-life protection.

Gee’s comments, along with other poignant observations about the nation’s public universities and colleges, was contained in an Associated Press story. Unfortunately, the piece did not get the traction or public discussion it deserved. It was published in The Vindicator.

The president’s position on tenure can be summed up thus: The traditional formula that rewards publishing in scholarly journals over excellence in teaching and other contributions is outdated.

Why focus on this issue now? The answer Gee gives can be applied to every public institution of higher learning, especially in Ohio, where continued state funding has become a challenge.

Gee said a new approach to tenure is needed to ensure universities stay relevant to students and the outside world.

The recession has helped highlight the importance of higher education to the economy, so now is the right time to make big changes.

“The notion of the large, massive public university that can exist in isolated splendor is dead,” he said, obviously referring to Ohio State. However, his view is just as applicable to institutions like Youngstown State University, where the student body is made up of many first-in-the-family college attendees, nontraditional students and those who aren’t adequately prepared for the rigors of academia.

Constituents’ demands

The question of whether faculty members should be teachers first has long been debated — particularly at the state legislative level. Officeholders are sensitive to the demands of their constituents, and every time tuition and fees are raised, or state funding is approved, the issue of faculty spending most of their time in the classrooms, especially at the lower levels, rears its controversial head.

Several years ago, a special governor’s commission on higher education concluded that freshmen and sophomores should benefit from the knowledge and experience of high profile professors.

Gee, named by Time magazine last year as the country’s best college president, intends to pursue an examination of tenure at Ohio State. When he does, it will be just about impossible for other state universities and colleges to ignore the issue. That’s because the president of Ohio’s flagship institution wields enormous power when it comes to higher education. He has the ability to influence the board of regents, the governor and the state legislature.

Therefore, tenure will become major topic of discussion.

At Youngstown State, soon-to-be president Dr. Cynthia Anderson would do well to think about re-examining how tenure is awarded and how teaching can become a major factor.