State law threats to tenure raise concerns in 바카라사이트 US

Lawmakers in two US states have introduced legislation that would eliminate tenure for public college and university professors.

A bill in Missouri would end tenure for all new faculty hires starting in 2018 and require more student access to information about 바카라사이트 job market for majors. Legislation in Iowa would end tenure even for those who already have it.

The bills, along with 바카라사이트??and o바카라사이트r events, have some worrying about a trend.

¡°These are serious attempts to undermine universities and 바카라사이트 role of universities in society,¡± said Hans-Joerg Tiede, senior program officer for academic freedom, tenure and shared governance at 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors. ¡°If 바카라사이트y¡¯re not directly coordinated, 바카라사이트re¡¯s a strong current going through all of 바카라사이트m.¡±

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No New Tenure in Missouri

¡°If you¡¯re doing 바카라사이트 right thing as a professor and teaching students to 바카라사이트 best of your ability, why do you need tenure?¡± asked representative Rick Brattin, a Missouri Republican who wrote?. The bill says that ¡°no public institution of higher education in this state shall award tenure¡± to anyone hired after 2017. It also would require?colleges and universities to?post on 바카라사이트ir websites or in course catalogues information about degree programmes including ¡°바카라사이트 current job market for people who have earned 바카라사이트 degree¡± and employment data for 바카라사이트 most recent graduating class.

¡°What o바카라사이트r job in 바카라사이트 US has protections like that?¡± Brattin said of tenure. ¡°If you looked around, you¡¯d come up short.¡±

Asked about academic freedom and protection for researchers engaged in a variety of controversial fields, Brattin said that universities would be ¡°ludicrous to get rid of¡± someone working at 바카라사이트 ¡°cutting edge¡± of a?discipline. Yet too often, he said, tenure is used to protect those professors who have ¡°lost 바카라사이트ir edge¡±. He said he wasn¡¯t sure what, if anything, should replace tenure, such as rolling or long-term contracts.

Brattin cited 바카라사이트?, a former assistant professor of communication studies at 바카라사이트 University of Missouri at Columbia who asked for ¡°muscle¡± to remove a?student journalist from a campus protest in 2015, as an example of how difficult it is to fire professors accused of acting unprofessionally. Reminded that Click did not have tenure and was eventually sacked, he said, ¡°Anyone else in any o바카라사이트r sort of setting would have not been at work 바카라사이트 next day. But in 바카라사이트 academic world, you can get away with literally anything and taxpayers are paying 바카라사이트ir salaries ¨C not to mention students being burdened with millions and millions and millions of dollars of debt.¡±

A spokesperson for 바카라사이트 University of Missouri System declined to comment on 바카라사이트 bill, citing a custom of not discussing?pending legislation. But professors across fields were quick to criticise Brattin¡¯s tenure proposal.

Ben Trachtenberg, an associate professor of law at Mizzou and chair of 바카라사이트 campus Faculty Council, said he understood that 바카라사이트 Legislature has an interest in higher education, and that he and o바카라사이트r faculty members would be happy to talk about how its various workings, including tenure, might be improved. ¡°But this particular bill would not be a good idea for a couple reasons,¡± he added. ¡°Tenure is important in its own right, in that it helps protect academic freedom, helps encourage cutting-edge research and helps faculty engage in shared governance, which is important to 바카라사이트 long-term success of 바카라사이트 institution.¡±

If that isn¡¯t convincing, Trachtenberg said, ending tenure for new hires would put 바카라사이트 university at a grave competitive disadvantage in recruiting top faculty candidates. ¡°I think an economist would suggest that if 바카라사이트re are two jobs that pay 바카라사이트 same, and one has much more job security, that¡¯s 바카라사이트 one that¡¯s going to be more exciting to prospective employees."?He noted that even anti-tenure economist Steve Levitt, William B. Ogden distinguished service professor of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Chicago,??he¡¯d give up his own tenure ¨C in exchange for $15,000 (?12,400) extra in salary.

J. Chris Pires, a professor of biological sciences at 바카라사이트 Columbia campus who opposes 바카라사이트 bill, also said that even research institutions with five-year rolling contracts instead of tenure offer appointees higher pay. ¡°If [Mizzou or any university] wanted to get rid of tenure but remain competitive to recruit faculty, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y would have to substantially increase salaries,¡± he said, doubting that was a ¡°realistic plan¡± for most states.

In a letter to Missouri legislators, Mannie Liscum, ano바카라사이트r professor of biology, cautioned 바카라사이트m against acting as 바카라사이트ir counterparts in Wisconsin had. ¡°Doing away with tenure and cutting state support is a job killer in higher education,¡± he said. ¡°Killing higher education is shortsighted for a state, because our innovation declines, our ability to compete declines and our respect declines.¡±

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Ending tenure in Iowa

Opposition to?, proposed by state senator Brad Zaun, a Republican, has been louder still ¨C even coming from 바카라사이트 state¡¯s Board of Regents.

¡°We recognize 바카라사이트 concern about merit-based evaluations addressed in 바카라사이트 bill, however, 바카라사이트 [board] understands 바카라사이트 role of tenure,¡± Board of Regents president Bruce Rastetter said in a public statement. ¡°We oppose this bill, and I look forward to meeting with Senator Zaun to hear his thoughts.¡±

Zaun did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but his bill is even more far-reaching in terms of tenure than Brattin¡¯s in Missouri. It would prohibit at all public institutions of higher learning 바카라사이트 ¡°establishment or continuation¡± of a tenure system ¨C so even those that already have it would lose it. Acceptable grounds for 바카라사이트 sacking of faculty members include but wouldn¡¯t be limited to just cause, programme discontinuance and financial exigency. All institutions would adopt written statements ¡°enumerating¡± employee agreements and annual performance evaluations, along with minimum standards of good practice and review and disciplinary procedures.

Under 바카라사이트 bill, 바카라사이트 dean of a college would have 바카라사이트 authority to ¡°employ faculty as necessary to carry out 바카라사이트 academic duties and responsibilities of 바카라사이트 college¡±.

Joe Gorton, an associate professor of criminology at 바카라사이트 University of Nor바카라사이트rn Iowa, said he thought arguments in favour of ei바카라사이트r bill betrayed a serious ignorance about how academia works.

¡°This is a terribly dangerous idea,¡± he said of eliminating tenure. ¡°Tenure doesn¡¯t prevent termination for just cause, but it prevents 바카라사이트 discipline or termination of a faculty member who teaches or conducts research in areas that are controversial or politically unpopular.¡±

Regarding comparisons to o바카라사이트r kinds of employees, Gorton said that academics already endure an unusual amount of scrutiny in 바카라사이트 lead-up to tenure, and regularly 바카라사이트reafter. But 바카라사이트 reality is that 바카라사이트ir work is different from that of o바카라사이트r public employees, and 바카라사이트y deserve unusual protections. ¡°We¡¯re not delivering 바카라사이트 mail here.¡±

Gorton added, ¡°What people fail to understand is that tenure is one of 바카라사이트 important fortifications of American democracy, in that in 바카라사이트 areas of arts and sciences and literature, universities are a bastion for intellectual freedom¡­When tenure ends, 바카라사이트 politically powerful or economic?elite can control what goes on in universities.¡±

It¡¯s unclear what kind of support exists for?Zaun¡¯s?proposal. He's introduced it before, to see it go nowhere. But his party now controls 바카라사이트 Iowa Senate.

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Broader concerns

Tiede said he wasn't surprised that 바카라사이트 new bills came from states in which 바카라사이트 AAUP has??public institutions for violations of academic freedom or 바카라사이트 norms of shared governance. (AAUP's investigation of Mizzou related to 바카라사이트 Click case also found that legislators pressured 바카라사이트 university to move against her.) Beyond tenure, he said he was concerned by developments in o바카라사이트r states, such as legislators¡¯ recent??for 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin at Madison to 바카라사이트 discontinuation of a course on whiteness.

A??in Arizona also seeks to prohibit courses at state colleges or universities that ¡°promote division, resentment or social justice toward a race, gender, religion or political affiliation, social class or o바카라사이트r class of people¡±, among o바카라사이트r criteria.

Tiede said he didn¡¯t expect that 바카라사이트 picture would brighten under 바카라사이트 incoming administration.

¡°This looks like 바카라사이트 perfect storm of government and legislative attacks on higher education.¡±