Board of Regents sends initial guidance on tenure changes at college campuses

Changes to tenure policy have been sent to University System of Georgia campuses, beginning the implementation process. The Board of Regents altered their policies on tenure and post-tenure review last year. The American Association of University Professors have called the changes the end of tenure. Mostly the document re-iterated the changes and solicited feedback from provosts and presidents.

"The one thing that did surprise me and was disappointing was the summary of changes... it listed summary of elements not changed, and due process and tenure were listed under 'not changed,'" said Georgia AAUP President Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia, of the potential censure. "That is not accurate... And it's just disappointing that they claim those things are not changed."

More:What does it mean if national faculty organization censures University System of Georgia?

Currently, tenured faculty undergo an annual review and a post tenure review every five years. Under the new guidelines, if they fail a post tenure review, or two annual reviews in a row, they would be given a performance improvement plan. If the faculty fail to improve as part of that plan, then they could be disciplined or dismissed. 

Unlike professors dismissed for causes like academic or personal misconduct, however, faculty who fail improvement plans can be disciplined by the administration, without going before a committee of their peers. 

"Parents and students should be concerned that tenure is being undermined," Boedy said. "Tenure is important for professors and their jobs, but it's important for parents and students to have experts who can speak freely, because tenure is connected to academic freedom."

The University System of Georgia has disputed that it it is damaging tenure protections in a Dec. 3 letter to the AAUP. 

When faculty are accused of misconduct, "appropriately, such accused faculty are afforded adjudicative hearings by a panel to evaluate the disputed facts of the alleged acts and to hear from witnesses to those acts," wrote USG Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney. "In contrast, the post-tenure review process occurs over multiple years, during which the faculty member is actively engaged in the process."

The AAUP maintains that this carve out is still weakening or even destroying tenure protections.

"I'm all for review, and every faculty is all for review and accountability, but they have lessened our rights under these reviews," Boedy said. "Tenure is a collection of rights, and they have done away with some of those here."

More:USG policy changes 'abolished tenure,' national faculty organization moves to censure

Faculty are currently reviewed on three categories — teaching, research and service to the college — and the new policies will add a fourth, student success. According to the draft guidelines, it will be up to colleges whether to use this as a separate category or consider it as part of the the other three categories.

"The definition in here is pretty vague, and different schools will maybe make that a separate category," Boedy said. "Here at UNG we're not making it a separate category."

These changes are supposed to take effect in the 2022-2023 academic year, while annual reviews are based on calendar years, so Boedy said changes will like take effect in early 2023 as academics fill out reviews from 2022.