Legislation recently introduced in two states seeks to get rid of tenure for professors in public colleges and universities.

Tenure has long been treated as a right in academia for professors and prevents them from being fired for researching and discussing controversial issues. But some legislators in Missouri and Iowa, however, feel it allows professors to “lose their edge.” SU professors in the University Senate, though, reacted with skepticism to the legislation.

Missouri state Rep. Rick Brattin (R), who proposed one of the laws, said the reason he came up with the idea was due to the “insane” cost of higher education that is still rising, not only in Missouri but across the United States.

“We had an increase of over 750 percent in tuition cost and we are seeing extremely high rates of unemployment with college grads,” Brattin said. “We are talking about taxpayer dollars, (and) we are talking about extremely high tuition rates for students.”

The Missouri law would only affect new hires, who would not have the option for tenure. In contrast, the law in Iowa would apply to all faculty, taking tenure away from those who already have it.

Brattin said the tenure system serves like guaranteed lifetime employment that no other professions have.

“You could literally get away with anything,” Brattin said. “No matter what, they have this job.”

He said he thinks it’s an outdated protection and that it’s time to update the system. Brattin added that he doesn’t think the role of professors will be in jeopardy if his law is passed because universities would still want to protect competent professors.

But Samuel Gorovitz, a professor of philosophy and a member of the University Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee, said the tenure system allows for freedom of speech for faculty. He recalls it being difficult for him to express his thoughts when he wasn’t protected under tenure.

“I’ve never hesitated to say what needs to be said and hesitated to speak the truth as I see it,” he said of his time as a tenured professor.

Dana Cloud, a professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts who serves on the Senate’s Academic Freedom, Tenure and Professional Ethics Committee, said the protection of tenure is an important right for researchers and teachers. Removing the tenure system, she added, would be a threat to the academic freedom.

Cloud was recently listed on Professor Watchlist, a website run by student group Turning Point USA, that documents professors “who discriminate against conservative students … and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.”

Cloud said if she were not protected under tenure, she would be more worried that she could be removed from her position. The promotion, hiring and firing process would not be protected if a professor had critical views of the administration, was politically outspoken or their research challenged prevailing norms, she said.

“(It) safeguards them in their quest for knowledge regardless of its implications, regardless of who it might offend and people’s freedom to express themselves in the classroom, to challenge their students without fear of sanctions or punishment of any kind,” Cloud said.

Published on January 24, 2017 at 10:54 pm

Contact Chieh: chchen@syr.edu