Terms of tenure still under scrutiny by Board of Higher Education

The on-again, off-again review of the extent to which North Dakota’s public colleges and universities should rein in the job protections enjoyed by tenured professors is on-again.

Any consideration of updating the process for granting tenure and evaluating tenured faculty inevitably leads to concerns over the potential impact on academic freedom. Yet administrators insist tenure needs to be revamped as part of an overall streamlining effort to contain costs and attract more students.

The North Dakota Monitor notes the state Board of Higher Education continues to parse and update the working definition of tenure, which over the years has come to be viewed by critics as the ultimate job security, regardless of performance.

“We have to look at modernizing our employment practices,” board member Kevin Black, of Fargo, said Tuesday, Dec. 10, as the board met for a special meeting.

One change approved Tuesday was instead of saying tenured faculty have a “right” to employment, the policy now says they have an “expectation” of keeping their job.

“I think if you were to poll just about any North Dakotan and asked if any taxpayer-funded job, that an individual has a right to indefinite employment, I don’t think you’re getting a whole lot more favorable responses,” Black said.

Another area under scrutiny concerns how often tenured faculty should face a rigorous job evaluation beyond the standard annual review.

One area where Black is seeking clarity is what circumstances might trigger a review of tenured faculty members seen as underperforming.

University System policy requires a review of tenured faculty every five years. Black had suggested cutting that to three years.

“I felt like five years was too long to go between a full-blown, post-tenure review,” Black said.

There was concern among the board that mandatory three-year post-tenure reviews could create a backlog.

Board members agreed to continue discussion of the frequency of full-reviews in future meetings. But the clock’s ticking on the board to finalize and implement reforms under pressure from state lawmakers.

Chancellor Mark Hagerott lauded the board for taking on the task of addressing tenure policy, which is a sensitive issue in higher education.

“I think you’re threading the needle nicely,” Hagerott said, adding that there is an appetite for tenure reform among legislative leaders, specifically House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson.

“He would like that this is implemented, at least the first phases of this, by March,” Hagerott said of Lefor. “So I think you’re getting there.”