Dive Brief:
- University of Wisconsin System faculty are concerned about new tenure policies on which the Board of Regents will vote Thursday, especially one that dictates when tenured faculty can be fired.
- The Capital Times reports one professor who served on the task force has said members were not asked to endorse final proposals. Several said they do not agree with the proposed guidelines for post-tenure review or a policy that would allow layoffs among tenured faculty for program discontinuance.
- Supporters of the new policies expect it to help the UW system operate more efficiently and competitively, and task force chairman and regent John Behling told the Capital Times the policies would hold campus leaders and faculty accountable.
Dive Insight:
Tenure protections were enshrined in Wisconsin state law until the 2016-17 budget was signed by Gov. Scott Walker. Under prior legislation, tenured faculty members could not be laid off simply because of program restructuring. There had to be a declaration of financial exigency or just cause. UW-Madison approved strong tenure protections but its work may be undone by the Board of Regents’ vote this week.
One outspoken critic of what some have called "fake tenure," Sara Goldrick-Rab, announced she was leaving UW-Madison for Temple University in a strongly worded statement Tuesday about the new policies and the direction the UW System has taken. After the state budget passed, an overwhelming share of UW faculty said in a survey they would consider leaving the system, should tenure be abolished. While some argue there are financial benefits to weakened tenure, the state’s universities will have a harder time recruiting sought-after faculty under these circumstances.