Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

leveymg

(36,418 posts)

10. Tenure is basically a guarantee of lifetime employment. It's essential to free expression

Reply to cali (Reply #5)

Wed Oct 23, 2013, 09:39 AM

Oct 2013

in fields such as political science, economics, and other ideologically-charged areas where university Presidents, Trustees and Alumni groups would otherwise clear the decks of faculty with whom they disagree, particularly those professors who are most active in agitating for change of policy at the institution, itself.

I was fortunate that Howard Zinn was my prof and I witnessed this first-hand. Noam used to come over the bridge to our teach-ins and events. He, too, was considered a thorn in the side of the Administration at MIT, and would not have survived if he didn't have tenure.

A multi-year contract and good intentions doesn't quite get you there. Lifetime tenure does.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

31 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

What Would an Ideal College Look Like? A Lot Like This [View all] cali Oct 2013 OP

Without tenure, there is no freedom of expression. That part is not a good idea. leveymg Oct 2013 #1

+1. Tenure is ESSENTIAL. n/t Laelth Oct 2013 #4

baloney. they have multi year contracts cali Oct 2013 #5

Tenure is basically a guarantee of lifetime employment. It's essential to free expression leveymg Oct 2013 #10

That's exactly what it is. duffyduff Oct 2013 #30

Perhaps the administration at this college at this kiva Oct 2013 #19

It seems that you don't understand the purpose of tenure. n/t Egalitarian Thug Oct 2013 #20

Furthermore, I would add "tenure" does NOT exist in K-12. duffyduff Oct 2013 #29

Which is a deficit. Tenure is not a "lifetime job" and it's not perfect, Egalitarian Thug Oct 2013 #31

if it's a teaching college, tenure matters less, but I so smell academic capitalism zazen Oct 2013 #6

you're simply wrong. cali Oct 2013 #14

"maybe it really is a non-toxic environment" and "I'm suspicious" zazen Oct 2013 #18

So how do countries such as the UK manage just fine with no concept of "tenure"? Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #8

Do they really? leveymg Oct 2013 #11

That's the intention of tenure, but it isn't always the result. MineralMan Oct 2013 #15

Word gets around about the time-servers. leveymg Oct 2013 #21

Yes, of course. However, tenure is not the do-all it is touted to be. MineralMan Oct 2013 #22

That's no reason to do away with the tenure system. leveymg Oct 2013 #24

Well, since I didn't go into academia, it doesn't really matter to me MineralMan Oct 2013 #25

I'm seeing hard-working tenured folks forced into early retirement now zazen Oct 2013 #27

I made that decision way back in the 1970s. MineralMan Oct 2013 #28

I stopped at "immediately employable" and "no tenure" frazzled Oct 2013 #2

then you stopped too soon. Liberal arts are fundamental to the cali Oct 2013 #7

I didn't say at all they weren't first rate frazzled Oct 2013 #13

that you know family members who don't want to work in far away places cali Oct 2013 #16

I agree, it's a vocational school. LuvNewcastle Oct 2013 #12

not even close to being true. ack. cali Oct 2013 #17

I don't mean to put the place down, cali. LuvNewcastle Oct 2013 #23

this series focusing on Vermont that Jim Fallows and other Atlantic cali Oct 2013 #3

Whoa there. What about athletics? Nye Bevan Oct 2013 #9

1977 University of Vermont graduate here! cilla4progress Oct 2013 #26