Dive Brief:
- Kean University's Board of Trustees upheld President Dawood Farahi's denial of tenure for six professors in a unanimous vote Saturday, offering no explanation.
- Dozens of speakers pleaded with the board for three hours prior to the vote, which not only denies tenure to the six academics, but also likely ensures their dismissal at the end of the year.
- Kean Federation of Teachers President James Castiglione called the lack of a reason "shameful," and Farahi defended his initial decision on tenure as an effort to increase the rigor of earning tenure.
Dive Insight:
All of the professors are in their fifth year at Kean, which typically awards tenure following a 5-year probation period. The board's decision to provide no reason for their vote certainly rubbed the Kean community the wrong way and should have probably been given more thought, especially considering that students and faculty were already protesting the decision prior to the meeting. It's certainly not likely to bring any positive press to a school that has suffered recent scandals including a plagiarising administrator and a Department of Education audit,