Statement Paper_ Tenure Kimberly Harn-2

Academic Treasure: Tenure Kimberly Harn Northern Arizona University CCHE 690: Dr King Treasure or Trash? Just the word “tenured” can excite an academic professional with a lifelong job opportunity and an enviable title But what does it mean? Why should we keep this status at Northern Arizona University? How can we improve it? As we hustle through the jungles of academia and bring our students lost relics of information and gems of knowledge, we rival the likes of Indiana Jones, reaching tenure by exchanging a dusty sandbag for golden treasure and escaping impending doom After all, Dr Jones was a tenured professor of Archaeology and strove to teach his students about speaking the truth and the benefits of research when not on an far-flung adventure (Wikipedia contributors, 2019) Is tenure a treasure to attain or just a tired tradition? As technology increases and online programs are becoming more prevalent, more and more higher educational institutions are wondering if creating tenure-track faculty positions is cost effective and even needed The percentage of tenured professors has declined to about 21% (AAUP, 2019) Tenure has “​become increasingly rare, particularly at public colleges and universities (Warner, 2018).” ​At Northern Arizona University we proudly uphold the American Association of University Professors definition on tenure purpose This states that “​the principal purpose of tenure is to safeguard academic freedom, which is necessary for all who teach and conduct research in higher education.”​ ​ We collectively ​believe that tenure is ​necessary​ and that it is a ​treasure ​to our university faculty and students.​ NAU believes tenure​ serves society and the common good by protecting the quality of teaching and research and thus the integrity of institutions of higher education (AAUP, 2019) Tenure is a worthy goal and a status we applaud This report focuses on small changes can we at Northern Arizona University to modernize tenure in a positive light This means ensuring tenured faculty are exceeding expectations and meeting the needs of the technological savvy students today Why Change? The common complaint is that the title, “tenured faculty” does not equal better teachers or productive instructors for the school A study of Northwestern University freshmen, found that undergraduates actually learned more from non-tenure track faculty (Weissman, 2013) ​College administrators frequently claim that “faculty tenure prevents them from adapting the curriculum more effectively to accommodate changes in the economy and to the patterns of student demand (Ginsberg, 2012).” Most colleges and universities have a significant number of unproductive tenured faculty members and they contribute to increasing the cost of higher education (Fossey, 2017) “By hiring someone for life, a school gambles that his or her ideas are going to be just as relevant in 35 years Tenure can also discourage interdisciplinary studies, since professors are rewarded for plumbing deep into an established subject area rather than connecting two different ones (Beam, 2010).” What can we do? At NAU, there are a total of 534 tenured and tenure-track faculty and 1,116 non-tenure track instructors (collegefactual.com, 2019) The current NAU tenured and tenure eligible faculty are required to dedicate 50 to 70 percent of their workload to teaching, 20 percent to scholarly activities and 10 to 20 percent to service obligations (NAU.edu, 2009) This report proposes to alter these percentages to reflect more mandatory professional development courses.​ Post- tenure reviews have been implemented by many institutions, but the American Association of University Professors ​“​believes that periodic formal institutional evaluation of each post-probationary faculty member would bring scant benefit, would incur unacceptable costs, not only in money and time but also in dampening of creativity and of collegial relationships, and would threaten academic freedom (AAUP, 2019).” Rationale For Better Balance An ideal balance for a tenured faculty member at NAU should be restructured to reflect 40-50 percent teaching workload, 15-20 percent research, 10-15 percent service to the University and 20 percent professional development courses The added 20 percent professional development requirement enhances “lifelong learning” which is important for flexibility, growth and change in higher education (Halonen, 2010) It is crucial that tenured faculty are current on diversity, technology, ethical issues and teaching enhancement Professional development leave or funding for conferences can be extended to each tenured member The rationale of this change is to inject a vital sense of continued learning and keep teaching methods relevant to the technologically changing student population (Quattlebaum, 2012) Experimentation is valuable and students are demanding more digital tools to supplement the classroom (Lieberman, 2018) Challenges of Change The very nature of tenure is the benefit to speak out, pursue ideas, utilize inquiry and not to fear retaliation This proposed alteration to the tenured workload is a compliment to all of those core beliefs The added and increased percentage of time dedicated to professional development is an incentive to create ideas, collaborate and diversify knowledge Inspiration to try new things can be overlooked by tenured faculty who are accustomed to their normal pathways Changes, even small ones, can be met with adversity Information, dialogue and open forums to discuss this change will need to be scheduled and available for all to attend Faculty senate and the Board of Regents will need to approve the change Benefits to All Professional development is an effective way to support teaching and personal growth “Good teaching is not just a “you have it or you don’t” skill, nor is it an automatic companion of terminal, disciplinary degrees It is an action, process, and way of thinking and as such it constitutes serious, complex intellectual work It requires regular reflection and exposure to new ideas and information that are inherently a part of good professional development activities (Altany, 2012).” Research has also shown that “​students better when their teachers receive professional development designed to help teachers better understand student learning processes (SJS, 2015).” The science of instruction is constantly evolving and professors need to keep their skill set fresh and sharp The benefit is the freedom to take courses aligned in one’s own interest or pursue new material that can be used as a catalyst to refresh a course (McKenna, 2018) The snowball effect is that the university gains a more productive and energized instructor and students are assured their professor is capable of delivering information in a current fashion 5 Trends, Need and Relevance Quality instruction and personalized professional development is the newest national trend in higher education (Dallas, 2014) Guidelines for earning tenure often ​prioritize faculty publications and scholarly contributions over teaching ability (Buzbee, 2018) More professional development experiences equates to quality teaching because the myriad of experiences that teachers have, both in and outside of their classrooms, contributes to the quality of student learning (Wang, et al 2011) With the proliferation of online and e-Learning courses, quality is the key ingredient to increase enrollment and retention Certain programs like “Quality Matters” and “ACUE effective teaching certification” can be used as professional development course that gives proven feedback and scrutinizes rigor (QualityMatters.org, 2018) The tenured workload is consistent and relevant to many other higher education institutions An example is the University of Delaware which has a teaching workload of 41-50 percent for tenure track faculty with the remaining workload being service related (Udel.edu, 2003) Conclusion: “Fortune and Glory” Tenured professors and tenure-track faculty are a valued part of NAU We aim to keep the treasure of tenure polished​ ​and active.​ Our institution is proud to employ leaders and researchers in many academic fields The increased professional development workload is not meant to deter from academic research or class time, but to compliment it and encourage our professors to stay relevant to advancing technology and learning pedagogy We feel this proposal is an innovative way to meet advancing trends, set a stellar example, and keep tenured instruction at the highest level possible 6 References: Altany, Alan (2012) Professional Faculty Development: The Necessary Fourth Leg Faculty Focus Retrieved from: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/professional-faculty-develop ment-the-necessary-fourth-leg/ American Association of University Professors (2019) Tenure Retrieved from: https://www.aaup.org/issues/tenure American Association of University Professors (2019) Post-Tenure Review: An AAUP Response Retrieved from: https://www.aaup.org/report/post-tenure-review-aaup-response Association of College and University Educators (2019) Retrieved from: https://acue.org/about/ Beam, Christopher (2010) Finishing School: The Case for Getting Rid of Tenure Retrieved from: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2010/08/the-case-for-getting-rid-of-tenure.html Buzbee, Emma (2018) In Tenure Process, Faculty Teaching Ability not a Priority Retrieved from: https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2018/03/29/in-tenure-process-faculty-teaching -ability-not-a-priority/ College Factual (2019) The Northern Arizona University Student to Faculty Ratio & Faculty Composition Retrieved from: https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/northern-arizona-university/academic-life/facult y-composition/ Dallas, Patricia (2014) A BluePrint for Personalized professional Development by Teachers, for Teachers Retrieved from: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-22-a-blueprint-for-personalized-professional-de velopment-by-teachers-for-teachers Fossey, Richard (2017) Wild Pigs and Lazy Tenured Professors: Very Difficult to Trap or Eradicate LinkedIn Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wild-pigs-lazy-tenured-professors-very-difficult-trap-ric hard-fossey/ Ginsberg, Benjamin (2012) Tenure and Academic Freedom: The Beginning of the End Retrieved from: https://academicmatters.ca/tenure-and-academic-freedom-the-beginning-of-the-end/ Halonen, Jane (2010) Promoting Professional Development Opportunities for Teaching Faculty Psychology and Life-long Learning Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/ed/governance/elc/2010/reports-professional-development-opportuni ties.pdf Lieberman, Mark (2018) Test-driving New Classroom Tech Initiatives Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/09/19/professors-share-plan s-implementing-and-assessing-classroom Levy, David (2012) Do college Professors Work Hard Enough? Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/do-college-professors-work-hard-enough/201 2/02/15/gIQAn058VS_story.html?utm_term=.c22630df400f McKenna, Laura (2018) How Hard Do Professors Actually Work? The Atlantic Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/02/how-hard-do-professors-actuallywork/552698/ Northern Arizona University (2009) Frequently Asked Questions about Faculty Workload Policy Retrieved from: https://nau.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2017/09/Workload-Policy-FAQs.pdf Quattlebaum, Simon (2012) Why Professional Development for Teachers is Critical Retrieved from: https://evolllution.com/opinions/why-professional-development-for-teachers-is-critical/ Quality Matters (2018) Retrieved from: https://www.qualitymatters.org Social Justice Solutions (2015) How Professional Development for Teachers Benefits Students Retrieved from: http://www.socialjusticesolutions.org/2015/04/22/how-professional-development-for-teac hers-benefits-students/ University of Delaware (2003) Faculty Evaluation and Workload Policy Retrieved from: https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.udel.edu/dist/9/2591/files/2015/01/FREC-workloa d-twicqa.pdf Wang, J., Lin, E., Spalding, E., Klecka, C., & Odell, S (2011) Quality Teaching and Teacher Education: A Kaleidoscope of Notions.Journal of Teacher Education Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0022487111409551 10 Warner, John (2018) Tenure is Already Dead Inside Higher Ed Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/tenure-already-dead Wikipedia contributors (2019, February 12) Indiana Jones In ​Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia​ Retrieved 20:49, February 23, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiana_Jones&oldid=883022826 ... At NAU, there are a total of 534 tenured and tenure- track faculty and 1,116 non -tenure track instructors (collegefactual.com, 2019) The current NAU tenured and tenure eligible faculty are required... 2019) Tenure is a worthy goal and a status we applaud This report focuses on small changes can we at Northern Arizona University to modernize tenure in a positive light This means ensuring tenured... are wondering if creating tenure- track faculty positions is cost effective and even needed The percentage of tenured professors has declined to about 21% (AAUP, 2019) Tenure has “​become increasingly