Dive Brief:
- Days are numbered for "chronic low performers" among Ball State University's tenured faculty.
- Ball State trustees will consider a post-tenure review policy change meant to address what Provost Terry King calls "cases that aren't coachable" by the end of fall semester.
- Under the potential policy change, faculty with unsatisfactory performance for two years in a row, or three years out of five, will be given a year to improve lest they be terminated — though officials expect that as few as 10 faculty per year will actually be let go as a result of the changes
Dive Insight:
What constitutes a low-performer? According to associate professor and University Senate Chairman Dave Pearson, these faculty stick out due to their lack of pay raises and lack of care over those raises. These instructors are big issues in small departments because of the additional work they create for their peers.
Ultimately, though, this move isn't meant to eliminate the majority of under-performers, but to address the issue and hopefully right the ship while holding those who abuse tenure accountable. It's not a bad idea, but will it work? If it does, a few other universities could probably borrow a few pages from the Ball State playbook.