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Tenure for Better or Worse

July 10th, 2023 by Kenneth Abrahams

For years, I have railed against the system of tenure in Higher Education. Any system that provides a lifetime job seems inherently flawed, in my opinion. In the beginning, the system was designed to protect professors and teachers from outside interference, threat of reprisals, or even termination from those who disagreed with what or how they were teaching. An unwanted side effect was that it prevented dismissal for individuals whose materials and methods became outdated or even worse, ineffective. COVID revealed some serious flaws in the system as many professors were either unwilling or unable to move to a virtual teaching environment.

As we moved some of our programs to the virtual realm, it was disheartening to hear students talk about the education they were receiving. Some professors latched on to the world of remote learning and were able to engage their students. Lectures on Zoom or Teams, for some, was almost like being there live and in some cases better. Professors found that the little boxes with students’ faces in them brought their students closer to them instead of being 50 feet back in a lecture hall. They were able to identify more quickly when their students were truly engaged and when they had checked out. For some students, remote learning was less stressful, and they too felt a stronger connection to the individual teaching the class. There was a flip side to this; those who either couldn’t or wouldn’t embrace the technology and teach remotely. Reading assignments were made via email and homework was submitted online but there was little to no actual engagement. Lectures were not provided, and all the “learning” was gained through written texts that had been assigned pre-pandemic. Hardly worth the thousands per course that many students were paying. My niece and I had a conversation in the Spring of 2020, and I asked her how school was going, and she said it was fine. When I probed a bit deeper, she admitted that most of her classes were simply reading assignments, papers, and tests, she had little or no interaction with professors.

All of this reinforced the belief that the tenure system, like other unions, was an archaic system that was past its prime and protecting incompetence. One must wonder if some of those same professors would have reacted differently if their livelihoods depended on them learning and embracing virtual/remote teaching models. Clearly, we will never know the answer to that question. Even as the COVID numbers improved, some faculty refused to return to the classrooms and insisted on teaching remotely. With tenure and union leadership behind them schools had no recourse but to acquiesce to their demands. For some students, learning remotely wasn’t a challenge. While others floundered and made it clear that in-person education, and the socialization that came with it, wasn’t only nice to have it was an essential part of their educational process. Many professors understood that and happily returned to an in-person format but to this day some insist on teaching remotely.

All this added fuel to the “let’s get rid of tenure” fire. Institutions nationwide are currently reviewing the tenure system at their institutions and in general. They see some of the same flaws that observers have seen for years. A system with lifetime appointments doesn’t always provide the best results. Conversations and posts like this can be dangerous as they paint a system, and a group of people, with a broad brush. That is patently unfair. There are scores of professors and teachers who pivoted during COVID and did whatever they could to create a positive environment for their students. When it came time to return to the classroom, many of them did so without question. For some, it meant being exposed to and getting COVID, but I believe whether there was a tenure system or not they would have returned because they felt an obligation to do so. In short, there are a lot more good people in the classroom than bad.

Events over the last year or so have brought the origins of tenure back in focus and at the forefront of this discussion. State governments are now passing laws as to what is acceptable and unacceptable to teach students at public institutions. Vaguely worded laws put faculty potentially at risk of disciplinary action or termination when discussing gender issues, sexual reassignment surgery, same sex marriage, or controversial topics like Critical Race Theory. It feels as if we are moving backwards.

When I went to college, we joked that a Liberal Arts Education prepared us to discuss a wide range of topics at cocktail parties and precious little else. For those unfamiliar with liberal arts, it is not big on teaching you specific skills like a business degree. As a matter of fact, it shies away from things like that. Back when I attended Connecticut College, we had very few General Education requirements. Those are courses in a variety of disciplines that everyone must take. Although there are several classes to choose from in each category, usually you need to take one physical science, social science, foreign language, etc. You get the idea; it is to make sure that a student’s education is well rounded. One of our requirements was a math or a science course. My choice to fill said requirement was computer science. About a week into the class, a friend asked me why, as a senior, I was taking the class? I explained that I needed to fill the requirement. He informed me it didn’t fill the requirement; it was “too practical” in the eyes of the school. Fear not, I found another science course and was able to graduate. Despite all our jokes about being prepared for any cocktail party, our education truly prepared us for the rest of our lives. It provided us with significant critical thinking skills. Allowed us to evaluate information and begin to make informed decisions about our course of action. We were provided with an opportunity to have open and honest discussions where no topics were off the table. Two other things that it taught us were tolerance and acceptance. Acknowledging those with opinions different than our own and truly listening to them. It is virtually impossible to imagine the environment being that in which they had to worry about their jobs if they expressed an unpopular opinion.

Tenure is still a system that is incredibly flawed. There is no question that for some it is the golden goose of the teaching world. As they age, some are less motivated to explore new methods or understand the shifts of the students that sit before them in classes or on Zoom. Flawed or not, it is the best system that we have at this moment. Classrooms should be a place of wonder and enrichment. Students should be free to ask questions and explore new areas of study, as well as new ideas. Faculty should be free to provide an intellectual roadmap for students with side roads to an unlimited array of topics. Politics needs to stay out, although clearly it is too late for that.

About the Author

Ken Abrahams is the son of a former Special Education Teacher. Her dedication to her profession and her students was beyond reproach. She spent time each and every year learning new methods or techniques to ensure that she provided the best education possible. It is safe to assume that she would be more than a bit dismayed by what is going on today.

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