Final nail in the coffin for tenure in Florida

[pondering]

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/01/31/gov-desantis-lambastes-ideology-in-fls-university-system-and-threatens-tenure-for-profs/

In a list of higher education proposals Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that "unproductive" tenured professors are the "most significant deadweight costs" at Florida universities. That's why the governor wants those professors to face evaluations, at risk of their jobs, at any point of their tenure.

[...]

The announcement on tenure evaluations builds off of legislation from the 2021 session that requires tenured professors to undergo an evaluation every five years.

"Yes, we have the five-year review of all the tenured faculty, which is, which is good...and the board of trustees have to determine whether they stay or go. But you may need to do review more aggressively than just five," DeSantis said at the Tuesday press conference.

"So we're going to give the boards of trustees and the presidents of the universities the power to call a post-tenure review at any time. And so maybe you're in year three, but there's a need to do it, so we want to do that," he added.

DeSantis continued: "And I've talked with folks around the country who've been involved in higher ed reform, and the most significant deadweight cost at universities is typically unproductive tenured faculty. And so why would we want to saddle you as taxpayers with that cost if we don't have to do that?"

[apl68]

Wonder what metrics they plan to use in these reviews, and who's expected to conduct them?  Is the idea to give universities an annual quota of tenured profs to get rid of?

[Ruralguy]

Now everyone knows where not to take an academic job. Its unfortunate. It would be nice to live in a place where there's no snow and Disney is never that far away.

[Parasaurolophus]

It hardly needs saying, but this is a lot worse than reviews every 5 years. It's a return to at-will employment. Adjuncts with benefits and salaries.

[Puget]

I bet there are a lot of highly productive "tenured" folks in the sciences there calling their buddies elsewhere to inquire if there might be a spot for them and their grant $$. Florida is about to learn what happens when people take their indirects and run.

[mythbuster]

You want to know what's being proposed- here is the key section of the draft document that was circulated at my institution on October. I am NOT at either of the flagship institutions (UF Gainesville or FSU)- theirs may be different. But it will give you a sense of what is being targeted.

a)The comprehensive post-tenure review shall include consideration of the following.
1. The level of accomplishment and productivity during the preceding five-year review period relative to the faculty member's assigned duties in research, teaching, and service, including extension, clinical, and administrative assignments. The university shall specify the guiding documents. Such documents shall include quantifiable university, college, and department criteria for tenure, promotion, and merit.
2. The faculty member's history of professional conduct and performance of academic responsibilities to the university and its students.
3. The faculty member's non-compliance with state law, Board of Governors' regulations, and university policies.
4. Unapproved absences from teaching assigned courses.
5. Biased teaching, instruction, or indoctrination constituting discrimination under Florida law.
6. Substantiated student complaints.
7. Other relevant measures of faculty conduct as appropriate.
(b) The review shall not consider or otherwise discriminate based on the faculty members' political or ideological viewpoint."

[mleok]

Now everyone knows where not to take an academic job. Its unfortunate. It would be nice to live in a place where there's no snow and Disney is never that far away.

There's still Southern California.

[mleok]

I bet there are a lot of highly productive "tenured" folks in the sciences there calling their buddies elsewhere to inquire if there might be a spot for them and their grant $$. Florida is about to learn what happens when people take their indirects and run.

I suspect the exodus has been ongoing for some time.

[pondering]

I bet there are a lot of highly productive "tenured" folks in the sciences there calling their buddies elsewhere to inquire if there might be a spot for them and their grant $$. Florida is about to learn what happens when people take their indirects and run.

I suspect the exodus has been ongoing for some time.

I can confirm (at Florida public R1). Also, I hear from colleagues in the sciences that it's getting much harder to hire people. Unfortunately, we humanists are - infamously - not in high demand, especially post-"tenure," so apart from the lucky few who someone get outside offers we're stuck with this regime until they fire us or DeSantis wins the Republican primary and drops the culture war BS, whichever comes sooner.

[Parasaurolophus]

(b) is... 'Hilarious' isn't quite right. Rich?

[marshwiggle]

(b) is... 'Hilarious' isn't quite right. Rich?

Well, in principle, if someone isn't constantly trying to inject an ideological viewpoint into one's teaching, etc., then one's ideological viewpoint wouldn't even be that obvious to other people. So to that extent it isn't a big stretch.

[Parasaurolophus]

(b) is... 'Hilarious' isn't quite right. Rich?

Well, in principle, if someone isn't constantly trying to inject an ideological viewpoint into one's teaching, etc., then one's ideological viewpoint wouldn't even be that obvious to other people. So to that extent it isn't a big stretch.

a(3) and a(5) are going to seriously limit what counts for (b). And since it's now against Florida law to say anything in a classroom that might make students feel guilty, it's clear that (b) will provide absolutely no protection--unless the 'viewpoint' in question is that the Civil War was about states' rights, that anthropogenic climate change is a hoax, that the world was intelligently designed, etc.


Besides which, I teach very controversial things all the time. You can't escape it in philosophy, especially when you teach applied ethics. Pretending you don't have a view isn't pedagogically great, and having a view doesn't mean you can't teach contrary material effectively. You just have to present the arguments, and show students how your dialectical opponent would respond. But it's not your fault that some positions--even on very important issues--are simply stupid and weakly defended. Students occasionally complain about the pro-torture readings I assign. But, as I tell them, I have given them the very best defences of torture out there. Seriously, I've read hundreds. I can't help it if they fall apart under scrutiny. And I'm not going to pretend that torture is a good thing just for the sake of appearing neutral. Instead, I guide them through the arguments, show them how to entertain and analyse the possibility, guide them through responses to objections, and when they say that those responses aren't satisfactory, I shrug and tell them that although you'll always find at least two sides to an issue, sometimes one side is just wrong.

They're welcome to defend the position in their essays, and some do. Many of these earn very high grades, including usually one 100% a semester. But it would be stupid and wrong for me to pretend that the cases are evenly matched. Some people are going to scream about "injecting" a "woke" agenda into the classroom, or trying to brainwash students into "wokeness". But they're wrong. And, frankly, their coursework proves it.

[marshwiggle]

(b) is... 'Hilarious' isn't quite right. Rich?

Well, in principle, if someone isn't constantly trying to inject an ideological viewpoint into one's teaching, etc., then one's ideological viewpoint wouldn't even be that obvious to other people. So to that extent it isn't a big stretch.

a(3) and a(5) are going to seriously limit what counts for (b). And since it's now against Florida law to say anything in a classroom that might make students feel guilty,

Really? So there can't be any criminology, psychology, or sociology courses that say that things like abuse is a bad thing? Or is it only that students aren't supposed to made to feel guilty over things like the colour of their skin, or the actions of their ancestors, or other things over which they have absolutely no control?

[poiuy]

Now everyone knows where not to take an academic job. Its unfortunate. It would be nice to live in a place where there's no snow and Disney is never that far away.

Even more unfortunate:  many red states are going to take this approach, FL is just the bellwether.   And if the externally funded R1 Profs take their indirects and run, the state will view that as a positive, since it will all go towards undercutting public higher education. Just starve the beast and let it wither.

[ciao_yall]

And now, The College Board wimps out.