Dive Brief:
- A survey of University of Wisconsin faculty conducted by a University of Chicago researcher with funding from a conservative think tank showed 89% of respondents would consider leaving the state without tenure protection.
- The Wisconsin State Journal reports the survey was considered controversial by faculty, only 22% of whom responded. In particular, questions about how much of a pay raise they would need to replace tenure protections assumes giving up tenure protections is an option.
- Among the relatively low number of respondents, concerns with academic freedom were also high — 79% said they'd be less likely to take on controversial research topics and 57% said that hesitancy would extend to bringing up controversial topics in the classroom.
Dive Insight:
The survey was conducted by Professor William Howell, a politics professor at the University of Chicago, and funded by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
Faculty in the University of Wisconsin system did not think Howell properly disclosed the funding source when sending the survey, which was made all the more controversial because it was thought to be used by those who want to strip tenure protections completely.
The Wisconsin legislature removed tenure protections from state law with its last budget and, while the state's preeminent research institution, UW Madison, has approved a policy replacing those protections at the campus level, many worry the board of regents may pass a watered down version that nullifies the greater protections.