"Happiness is Texas in my rear view mirror"

The Little Professor comments on the unusual number of tenure rejections^$ at the University of North Texas last year. Twelve out of 32 candidates were rejcected by the University's new provost, the highest (both number and percentage) in ten years. Eight of the twelve candidates were recommended by every lower-level committee; ten of the twelve are appealing.

"There have been some questions about those turned down for tenure, but if you read the policy manual it does not say that a written report was required," Miles said "Provost Johnson did stress that he had spoken to the deans about each of the cases, so that information was passed on."

I'm sorry but that's just stupid. I mean, if you're going to reject faculty who have given six years of their professional life to your university and earned the respect of their departments and colleges (even if it was before you arrived), you owe them an explanation, even if the university rules don't require it. You may have very good reasons for your decision, but have the balls to stand up and explain them.

The Faculty Handbook and NT Policy Manual state that the provost shall "notify those faculty members recommended by the department whose promotions were not approved ... with the consent of the faculty member, the reasons for disapproval of promotion by a dean or by the provost and vice president for academic affairs shall be transmitted in writing to the department chair and the chair of the PAC."

All of the appellant professors interviewed by the Daily by this week have received no written documentation from the provost explaining their tenure denials. Some have argued this is a violation of NT's policies because attaining tenure is normally equated with promotion. Pohl said NT's legal counsel takes a different view.

"Sometimes they [tenure and promotion] can be de-coupled, but it's an unusual situation when they are," Pohl said. "Our legal counsel has said on promotion to full professor that would be appropriate, but where promotion is tied to tenure, tenure takes precedent. If you're not getting tenure, you're not getting a promotion, so it's kind of like going to the lowest common denominator in a sense."

Oh, come on. Now you're just covering your ass. It's pathetic. Stop cowering behind your lawyer and be a man. There do you think you are, Benedict College?