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I've been reconsidering my ideas about tenure recently. If you asked me a couple years ago, I would have told you that I was opposed to the idea of tenure. I

I've been reconsidering my ideas about tenure recently. If you asked me a couple years ago, I would have told you that I was opposed to the idea of tenure. I thought it created a two-tier system: a relative handful of older professors who have made it and can basically coast, versus the untenured professors who do most of the grunt work. But now I'm seeing that tenure can actually provide valuable protection for professors. Teaching in non-STEM subjects is ideological; it has to come from some viewpoint. And without tenure, it can reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want, or you're fired." I realize that ONU is trying to fire Prof. Gerber, but at least he has some protections that are allowing him to fight back. From the article: "insufficient “collegiality” isn’t listed as adequate cause in ONU’s faculty handbook for dismissing a tenured faculty member...."

tivert 3y ago
> But now I'm seeing that tenure can actually provide valuable protection for professors. Teaching in non-STEM subjects is ideological; it has to come from some viewpoint. And without tenure, it can reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want, or you're fired." Though with tenure, it seems to reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want," but with the lag of about a generation. It just means conformity is enforced in hiring and by more difficult firing process. It might actually be an improvement in some ways to get rid of tenure because it would make things worse is a way that would make them clear. If you're in a Communist country being taught Communism by a Communist professor, if you have any understanding of the system at all, it's hard to deceive yourself into believing that Communist viewpoint is anything but propaganda from the powers-that-be. Tenure and other aspects of "academic freedom" can be undermined, but provide enough cover to allow students to deceive themselves into thinking they're being taught a truth that isn't politically-defined.
LegitShady 3y ago
> Teaching in non-STEM subjects is ideological; it has to come from some viewpoint. And without tenure, it can reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want, or you're fired." Similarly it can be used to entrench any position into the faculty. The university decides who gets tenure and only offer tenure to the people with the 'right sort of thinking' and now those are the only people around and willing to speak.

tivert 3y ago

> But now I'm seeing that tenure can actually provide valuable protection for professors. Teaching in non-STEM subjects is ideological; it has to come from some viewpoint. And without tenure, it can reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want, or you're fired." Though with tenure, it seems to reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want," but with the lag of about a generation. It just means conformity is enforced in hiring and by more difficult firing process. It might actually be an improvement in some ways to get rid of tenure because it would make things worse is a way that would make them clear. If you're in a Communist country being taught Communism by a Communist professor, if you have any understanding of the system at all, it's hard to deceive yourself into believing that Communist viewpoint is anything but propaganda from the powers-that-be. Tenure and other aspects of "academic freedom" can be undermined, but provide enough cover to allow students to deceive themselves into thinking they're being taught a truth that isn't politically-defined.

LegitShady 3y ago

> Teaching in non-STEM subjects is ideological; it has to come from some viewpoint. And without tenure, it can reduce down to "teach your subject from the viewpoint the administrators want, or you're fired." Similarly it can be used to entrench any position into the faculty. The university decides who gets tenure and only offer tenure to the people with the 'right sort of thinking' and now those are the only people around and willing to speak.