Provost doubles down on new tenure policy despite faculty pushback

Yenni Jimenez Acosta, Contributing Writer

VCU plans to permanently amend its tenure policy to require professors to obtain the highest attainable degree in their field, typically a Ph.D. or MFA, in order to be promoted or receive tenure, per a directive from the Office of the Provost.

Former provost Fotis Sotiropoulos attempted to implement the policy in January — a week before many faculty were set to have their promotion applications processed — but delayed it following backlash. The new interim provost Beverly Warren, who also served as provost from 2011 to 2014, is moving forward with the changes, as announced in an August blog post. 

Tenure gives professors near-permanent employment status that can only be terminated under extraordinary circumstances. Tenured faculty tend to spend more time researching, as opposed to teaching classes. VCU’s new policy follows a nationwide trend of fewer faculty receiving promotions every year to replace tenured faculty when they retire. 

The changes are meant to align VCU with the standards of other top research schools, according to the provost. Some faculty teaching in more hands-on fields that value terminal degrees to a lesser extent — such as forensic science, mass communications and math  — have spoken out against the changes, which remove their pathway to promotion.

VCU faculty have two different routes to promotion. Professors who are on the tenure track but do not yet have tenure are called “assistant professor,” while tenured professors carry the title of “associate professor.”

There is also a pathway with identical titles but for “term faculty,” who are not eligible to receive tenure and typically work on year-long contracts. The main benefit of climbing the ranks for term faculty is receiving a 10% raise at each step.

The decision to carry on the policy was made after “extensive faculty input and task force review,” Warren stated in the provost blog. 

The Commonwealth Times filed a Freedom of Information Act request in January to obtain comments from faculty submitted in a feedback form. The results yielded over 30 comments — the majority of which were critical of the policy proposal. 

“I do not think VCU should tie promotion to journal impact factor or similar metrics at the university level,” one comment read. “It’s very useful for some fields, and it’s near-useless for others.”

The new terminal degree requirement cannot go into effect until it goes through the appropriate channels for approval. It is currently in another open comment period for faculty feedback, where it will remain until Oct. 3, according to Warren.

The policies can be enacted in November following a vote from the university council, President’s Cabinet and Board of Visitors — all part of a shared governance process, Warren said. 

“We will revise the policy in accordance with the feedback we’re getting,” Warren said. “We’re not behind schedule, so we should have Board of Visitors approval at the November meeting.”

The new tenure policy will also ask term faculty to have a terminal degree, which Warren called one of the biggest changes.

“It’s a way to ensure that we are giving our students the highest, most highly qualified individuals in the classroom,” Warren said. 

Mark Wood, an associate professor of world studies and board member of United Campus Workers at VCU, stated VCU’s new policy is reflective of those being implemented at top-ranked schools.

“Currently, we [VCU] are facing budget reductions that do not suggest we are able to offer the kind of support or salaries one finds at universities like UVA, Columbia and others,” Wood stated.

Krista Alexander left her position as a mass communications professor last semester due to the policy change, which is a roadblock for opportunity, she stated.

“As a media producer, experience comes from being a working professional,” Alexander stated. “I don’t know a single person who has years of experience working in media who is also a doctor! I realized there would never be any real growth for me at VCU.”

Alexander believes that the new policy is meant to save VCU money, not better the institution or the faculty. 

“I know it is holding instructors and professors back,” Alexander stated. “How many people will want to stay in a job with no growth? What incentive is there to perform above standard?”