The beginning of the 2002-2003
school year at Appalachian State University is a landmark in the
career of professors who received tenure this year.
The tenure process is a widely accepted format for most universities
and is supported by the University of North Carolina system, said
Dr. Richard N. Henson, assistant dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences.
Dr. W. Stuart Towns, chairperson of the Department of Communication,
said tenure is awarded to professors who have completed the six-year
tenure process and made a worthy contribution to their department.
Tenure track professors must complete a series of one-year, two-year
and three-year employment contracts. They must also undergo formal
evaluations by the department chairperson and the Department Personnel
Committee, said Dr. David P. Haney, chairperson of the Department
of English.
Professors hired on the tenure track must complete a significant
amount of published research, do well in the classroom, and provide
service to the university. In most cases, a professor must also
earn the highest academic degree possible in his or her field, said
Haney.
“If we hire someone on the tenure track, we fully expect them
to get tenure,” said Haney.
If a professor does not receive tenure at the end of the six-year
process, he or she may appeal the decision, but usually must leave
Appalachian State at the end of his or her contract, said Haney.
Henson said tenure provides a sense of academic freedom, allowing
professors to use materials and discuss issues that may be considered
controversial without the fear of jeopardizing their jobs.
“Academic freedom becomes a vital part of [education],”
said Henson.
Dr. James M. Ivory, associate professor of English and assistant
chairperson of the Department of English, said receiving tenure
is an important step in a professor’s career.
Ivory called professors the “custodians” of the academic
profession and said they are responsible for the growth and expansion
of learning at the university.
According to Ivory, the academic freedom tenure provides is necessary
in accomplishing this goal.
Tenure provides a university with many advantages, but it has disadvantages.
According to Haney, non-tenured and part-time faculty have fewer
benefits and academic freedom than tenured faculty.
“Tenure creates a very unfair gap between the ‘have’s’
and the ‘have not’s’,” said Haney.
The university acknowledges the problems with tenure and is striving
for a solution.
The administration and the Faculty Senate work hard to take care
of part-time faculty, said Kenneth M. Chauvin, a part-time lecturer
in the Department of History.
“Part-time faculty are respected,” said Chauvin. “Overall,
I feel comfortable at Appalachian.”
Henson said non-tenured and part-time faculty are critical to the
university and help maintain a quality learning environment.
Tenure is a commitment between a professor and the university, said
Ivory. The professor enjoys the job security and academic freedom
of tenure while the university benefits from the professor’s
service, published research and work in the classroom. |
