The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 20, 1996 Page: 4 of 24
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4 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20. 1996
THE RICE THRgSHER
Opinion
Tenure needs both fundamental and cosmetic changes
Charles
Klein
STUDENT
ASSOCIATION
IN MARCH ps7,175 smden^
marched in support of Rice Biology
Professor Joseph Martin. In addi-
tion. over 4fK) students signed a let-
ter in support of Martin, proposing
"that exceptions in the traditional
tenure system
should be made
for those who
are outstand-
ingly gifted at
passing on
knowledge to
others."
Martin was
adored by the
students and
was famous for
his innovative
leaching style in
Introductory Hi
olo'gy (where he was reported to
lose at least 10 pounds every year).
But it wasn't enough that a ma-
jority of the students loved Martin.
It wasn't enough that the "Promo-
tions and Tenure Committee actu-
ally proposed that Martin he given a
second c hance a .two-year con-
tract extension so he could locus on
his research.
In the end, Martin was left out in
Ihe cold when then-President
George Hupp and the Hoard of Gov
ernors denied Martin any chance of
attaining tenure.
Kight years later, under a differ-
ent and more open administration,
Jones School Professor Graeme
Rankine experienced much the same
treatment; ofeourse, Rankine'scase
was marred by internal politics as
well. Noui-ihless, hundreds of stu-
dents supported Rankine by signing
a petition in his support ()nce again,
it wasn't enough.
Hut just when it seemed like the
student voice could never affect
change in the tenure process, an
explosive panel at the Student Asso-
ciation retreat last Saturday pro-
claimed otherwise.
The panel was moderated by Pro-
vost David Auston. The panelists
were Dean of the School of Engi-
neering Michael Carroll, History
Professor Carol Quillen, English
Professor Dennis Huston and Ecol-
ogy and Evolutionary Biology De-
partment Chair Ron Sass.
Over the count* of an hour and a
half, the panel and the 50 or so audi-
ence members engaged in a heated
debate about teaching versus re-
search in the Rice system.
After the smoke had cleared, a
number of audience members com-
mented that they had never seeji
anything like it at Rice — something
with so much emotion and power
behind it
Out of that emotion and power
came a clear message to the admin-
istration; Rice students recognize
that Rice emphasizes teaching more
than most of the top research insti
tutes in this country (Gillis and
Auston give pay increases for those
professors who win teaching
awards), but change is still needed.
One particular point of conten-
tion at the retreat was the Physics
H>1/102 and 1.25/126 cou rses where
several years of extremely poor
teaching evaluations had been ig-
nored. Out of this discussion came a
promise from Auston that the uni-
versity would fix the poor teaching
in the Introductory Physics course
— a promise which was made pos-
sible only through this forum and
with this administration.
But the promise is just the start.
Students must continue to. remind
the administration of the vow and
work with the-administration to
make sure that the promise is not
broken, as well as to address other
areas in the tenure process
There still exists a very clear bias
toward research in the tenure sys-
tem at Rice that must be eliminated
or reduced.
According to Huston, the 1987
denial of tenure to Professor Martin
was preceded by an approval of ten-
ure for a purely research-oriented
professor in 1986 where Rupp said
that some circumstances require
special consideration — a statement
he refused to endorse the following
year in Martin's case. - „
In fact, the Promotion and Ten-
ure Committee that year even
ranked the considerations in the ten-
ure process in a letter to the editor in
the April 3 Rice Thresher where they
wrote "scholarship has always been
critical.teaching very important, and
service expected."
There still exists a
very clear bias toward
research in the
tenure system. ...
Even today, there exist univer-
sity policies, available on the Web at
http://www. ruf rice, edu/-presiden/
Policies/, that rank these consider-
ations in much the same way. In
addition, the policies outline two
untenured positions that focus on
the two extremes of the teaching
versus research debate. But even
these policies show the university's
bias toward research.
Policy 327-90 outlines a compre-
hensive research faculty system with
promotions and other incentives
built in. On the other side, the in-
structor position "carries no impli-
cation of candidacy or eligibility for
promotion." No wonder our instruc-
tors and lecturers leave so suddenly.
There is no incentive to stay on the
research side. This dichotomy must
change, and the policies must be
We've Got It!
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rewritten to reflect the change.
One idea supported by a number
of people within the Rice commu-
nity is a broad-based change to a
three-part tenure system where a
small number of professors are pro-
moted to full professor based on
teaching, an equal number based on
research and a larger number based
on both. This concept goes along
with what the panelists were saying
about exploiting the strengths of the
individual faculty member by get-
ting poor teachers out of tbe class-
room and allowing good teachers to
focus on their teaching.
Another aspect of this debate is
the definition of research. What is
fNsesearch? Is it the number of publi
cations a faculty member produces
(the current definition), or can it be
research involving teaching tech-
niques, performing flr directing
plays in the English Department or
writing for an electronic publication?
According to Quillen, using the strict
definition of research that has been
used for so long is one major aspect
that must be changed.
" Ofeourse, the specific process of
granting tenure is not the only issue
at stake here. Another issue is the
review of tenured professors.
This particular issue is extremely
explosive, and any change must have
near-unanimous support of the fac-
ulty, but as the panel this weekend
showed, students can be instrumen-
tal in pushing at least an examina-
tion of these policies.
We have a special edge in this
area because this issue is being re-
viewed -now throughout the conn
try, but these reviews are occurring
primarily for financial reasons where
universities no longer can handle
the financial burden of tenure —
something with which Rice does not
have a problem. Nonetheless, the
reviews are occurring.
Bennington University elimi-
nated tenure two years ago. The
University of Minnesota instigated
year tenure review process. Texas
A&M University just established a
committee to look into all of these
issues a few weeks ago.
These changes will eventually im-
pact Rice even though we don't have
the financial problems they have.
Huston even went so far as to state
that tenure as we know it would be
gone within a few more generations.
President Malcolm Gillis also
agrees that change is afoot as the
outside communities are starting to
get involved in evaluating universi-
ties, something which he says used
to be done solely within the univer-
sity by university officials.
The retreat panel last weekend
showed that change, whether it's
having a 10-year review system or
getting student course evaluations
to be taken more seriously, can oc-
cur with the students, faculty and
administration working together.
The issues outlined in this col-
umn are just a few of the issues that
relate to an overhaul of the tenure
process, but it's time for Rice to
affect the changes that have been
demanded for so many years. Stu-
dent and/acuity debate in the pages
of the Thresher and on the SA Elec-
tronic Forum at hitp://riceinfo.
rice. edu/projects/SA/forurn.html'b
the first step toward formulating a
clear plan of action.
Ofeourse, nothing can be done
about tenure without facility sup-
port, but Rice can be a leader in the
tenure reform wave that's about to
hit by establishing a workable policy
that addresses student concerns.
Or, if the university as a whole
wants to continue with the status
quo and shun national leadership of
this nature, we can always and for-
ever remain the "Harvard Univer-
sity of the South." I personally like
"Rice University."
Charles Klein is vice president for
external affairs of the Student
Association and a Sid Richardson
and was forced to withdraw a 10- College senior.
would have supported the bill. Vice
President Al Gore had promised to
break the tie in support of the bill,
but the motion failed.
Now it is legally OK to not hire
someone based on his or her sexual
preference.
The Rice Young Democrats
meets at 9:30 p.m. every Monday in
Kelley Lounge.
Sheffy Cordon is president of the Rice
Young Democrats and a Jones
College junior,
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Beard, Marty & Rao, Vivek. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 20, 1996, newspaper, September 20, 1996; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246546/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.