From the General Secretary: Tenure Expands

By Ruth Flower

There was a time—about thirty years ago—when full-time, non-tenure-track faculty were the exception. They were visiting professors, adjuncts, or specialists in a limited number of fields. In 1969 they accounted for little more than 3 percent of the faculty. Now, the full-time tenured faculty are becoming the minority. As a result of the growing practice of appointing both part- and full-time non-tenure-track faculty, only two out of every five faculty positions are now held by a tenured (or tenure-track) faculty member.

These changing facts have many consequences for academic life—in economics, pedagogy, and governance. But perhaps the most fundamental consequence is the subtle and insidious threat to academic freedom. If the majority of teaching faculty are not protected by tenure, then their academic freedom, with regard to the content and presentation of their classroom teaching, is inadequately protected. In this structure, the content of most undergraduate classes—which are now taught mainly by nontenured faculty—is ultimately subject to the plans and priorities of the administrator who hires and supervises these faculty members. This fundamental shift away from the academic primacy of faculty warrants a fresh look at the employment structures that now inhere in many, if not most, colleges and universities.

Tenure, which some critics believe should be on its way out, bears close examination. As described in AAUP policies, tenure protects academic freedom and ensures reasonable job security. It provides, in the words of Ariel Anderson, WMU's faculty contract administrator, "the assurance of due process and procedural fair play." Tenure can complicate the agendas of deans, chairs, administrators, and trustees who might otherwise consider dismissing a faculty member who teaches well, but who teaches controversial or unpopular material. It may also hobble the corporate leader operating within a university, who might otherwise be able to change academic programs and missions to fit a new "market niche." These complications posed by tenure are entirely appropriate to a college or university committed to academic freedom and fairness in faculty personnel decisions.

Tenure is not a reward; it is a necessity for the academician. Higher education as we know it would not continue without this solid protection of academic freedom. By tradition on many campuses, eligibility for tenure attaches to a professorial rank, so that only those in the conventional ranks of assistant, associate, or full professor are considered "tenurable." The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, however, provides that all full-time faculty—beginning with the rank of instructor—should be tenure eligible. "Freedom and economic security are indispensable to the success of an institution in fulfilling its mission to its students and to society." The WMU contract presents some challenging questions: what if tenure and "tenurability" were not tied to the conventional academic ranks? What if a lecturer could be tenured as a lecturer, according to a set of criteria that pertained specifically to that work? What if specialists in clinical programs could be tenured in that specialty? What challenges would arise from such a shift in customary practices?

WMU's experience, as it unfolds, may provide some answers. The tenuring of lecturers and other faculty specialists does not, in itself, specify an ideal proportion of faculty in the conventional ranks and faculty specialists. This balance may vary with each discipline and each department. Who should be responsible for teaching—especially undergraduate classes—and how should that be decided? These are questions of academic work, qualifications, and stan-dards, and they are for the faculty to consider. The WMU contract did not create new "faculty specialist" positions—it simply renamed existing positions and continued current individuals in their positions.

There are many other questions—about shared governance responsibilities, participation in reviews, and qualifications of faculty specialists for conventional faculty-rank positions. WMU faculty have just opened the door—they can't yet describe what's on the other side. They've provided an assurance of academic freedom and job security for all teaching and research undertaken at their institution. And that has to be a good start.

Ruth Flower served as interim general secretary of the AAUP while Mary Burgan was on sabbatical leave last fall.

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