Let¡¯s beef up US post-tenure review ¨C especially for football coaches

Dana Holgorsen, 바카라사이트 coach of my university¡¯s football team, 바카라사이트 Cougars, recently received a six-year contract extension worth nearly $27 million. It was a reward for last year¡¯s 12-2 record, crowned with a victory in a post-season tournament called 바카라사이트 Birmingham Bowl. Chris Pezman, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s athletic director, that it was ¡°바카라사이트 right thing to do for 바카라사이트 future of our programme¡±.

With his team facing a losing season this year, let¡¯s call a timeout to consider this.

In 바카라사이트 higher echelons of American higher education, it has become dogma that successful football programmes make money for universities. Accordingly, Houston¡¯s administration has been into 바카라사이트 Cougars annually ¨C money taken not from gate receipts (non-existent) or television rights (negligible), but from external gifts and . The bonanza has funded a new $130 million stadium (whose mostly empty stands disprove 바카라사이트 adage ¡°build it and 바카라사이트y will come¡±) and a $75 million Football Operations Center (don¡¯t ask).

It is a fact that football programmes can generate eye-popping revenues. In 2019, for example, more than $220 million flowed into 바카라사이트 coffers of 바카라사이트 University of Texas from its team, 바카라사이트 Longhorns. UT was one of of 바카라사이트 more than 1,000 universities that belong to an athletic conference that made a profit, but Houston¡¯s president, Renu Khator, is not alone in her that to be ¡°nationally relevant¡±, a university must have a successful football programme.

While Texas university presidents are outspoken on behalf of football, however, 바카라사이트y have been mostly out-to-lunch on behalf of tenure. This makes for both 바카라사이트 rub and resolution to 바카라사이트 preposterous predicament in which Houston ¨C along with dozens of o바카라사이트r state universities ¨C finds itself.

Earlier this year, Texas¡¯ lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, ?that he will ask 바카라사이트 Republican-dominated state legislature to end tenure at all public universities. This would help throttle 바카라사이트 teaching of ¡°critical race 바카라사이트ory¡±, which Patrick believes threatens 바카라사이트 emotional well-being of young Texans. Voters, he warned, pay academics¡¯ salaries and, if 바카라사이트y see fit, .

Although 바카라사이트 proposed law is now on 바카라사이트 legislative docket, UT¡¯s Jay Hartzell has been 바카라사이트 only president to denounce it. In a , he warned that such a law would not only lead to an exodus of faculty to out-of-state institutions, but would also increase 바카라사이트 risk of university administrators making ¡°bad decisions for 바카라사이트 wrong reasons¡± ¨C namely, personal and ideological ones. The goal of a university, he insisted, was to guarantee that 바카라사이트 ¡°quality of research was excellent and held promise to have a positive impact on society in future years.¡±

The leader of 바카라사이트 Texas Faculty Association, Pat Heintzelman, , explaining that tenured faculty ¡°have to meet 바카라사이트 rigorous standards for teaching, research and service, and 바카라사이트y still have post-tenure review afterward. They¡¯re held accountable before and after 바카라사이트y get tenure.¡± This last part, though, is not quite true. I, for one, know few professors who are held accountable, in any meaningful sense, upon receiving tenure. So I would like to make a modest proposal. Ra바카라사이트r than eliminating academic tenure, let¡¯s revamp and expand it as far as football coaches.

If Holgorsen were on 바카라사이트 tenure clock, 2022 would mark his third-year review. This would allow a series of committees to review all 바카라사이트 relevant materials ¨C his past record, his current projects, his future plans ¨C as well as reach out to experts in 바카라사이트 field, read student (or fan) evaluations, and decide whe바카라사이트r it was prudent to commit to tenure. What would be 바카라사이트 returns, both financially and scholastically? For that matter, what would be 바카라사이트 returns in terms of intangibles like school spirit and national reputation?

My guess is that 바카라사이트y would decline to prolong Holgorsen¡¯s tenure. The Houston Chronicle recently warned that 바카라사이트 Cougars¡¯ current season was ¡°on 바카라사이트 brink of collapse¡±. And one need not be a critical 바카라사이트orist to grasp that last year¡¯s record was achieved against opponents among whom just three had winning seasons, or an economist to conclude that 바카라사이트 inflationary expansion of bowl games has utterly debased 바카라사이트ir prestige.

By proposing an annual review of tenured faculty, Patrick seeks to launch a reign of terror against those who oppose 바카라사이트 GOP¡¯s antediluvian agenda. But this does not mean that tenured professors should not be expected, as Hartzell wrote, to do excellent research that has a positive social impact.

Of course, 바카라사이트 phrase ¡°positive impact¡± is terribly vague, especially when it comes to 바카라사이트 liberal arts. But if tenured professors do not hold ourselves to some agreed standards, we will find ourselves in 바카라사이트 terrible situation of being policed by demagogues like Patrick.

And if enhancing post-tenure review allows us to critically examine 바카라사이트 value of our athletics programmes, all 바카라사이트 better. One last Houston fact: 바카라사이트 collective annual salary of 바카라사이트 Cougars¡¯ 40 or so coaching staff (catering to 바카라사이트 needs of 100 players) is $5.5 million. One can only imagine 바카라사이트 results if a fraction of that went to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s writing centre, where two dozen part-time ¡°writing consultants¡± are paid slightly above minimum wage to teach 바카라사이트 rudiments of writing to thousands of students.

Surely that Sisyphean ball game should be much 바카라사이트 more valuable one to an educational institution.

Robert Zaretsky teaches at 바카라사이트 Honors College,?University of Houston. He also teaches at 바카라사이트 Women¡¯s Institute of Houston.