Bryer Haywood, Staff Writer
Many VCU faculty and staff have called on their peers and administrative representatives to stop a change to VCU’s tenure policy from going through, citing a rushed schedule and evidence it would harm the university.
VCU interim provost Arturo Saavedra proposed a post-tenure review policy in a March faculty senate meeting, according to a previous report by The CT. The proposal was unpopular with faculty who decried its inconsistency with existing policies at VCU.
The policy is open for a public comment period until April 24. Over 270 comments have been submitted so far — the majority of which either disapproved of the changes wholesale or decried the approval schedule and what many deemed to be insufficient faculty input.
What is the policy?
Faculty typically go through a cycle of evaluations to receive tenure, culminating in an evaluation every six years thereafter. Tenure generally comes with more permanent employment, more benefits and greater discretion to pursue research.
Post-tenure review would add an additional cyclical review to keep or lose tenure and a “trigger” when professors receive low marks for their performance or are otherwise put on notice by the Provost’s office, which would hold final say on the matter.
Multiple faculty senate members sent a letter to peers in opposition to the proposed policy on April 10. Faculty senators who wrote the letter cited research suggesting negative outcomes for post tenure review policies. They also decried the quick turnaround throughout the rulemaking process.
While the original letter was signed by three faculty senate members, it has since been shared among several other faculty. It calls on faculty to ask their counterparts on the University Council, a body beneath the board of visitors made up of faculty, staff and students to “unanimously vote “NO.”
During the March meeting, Saavedra stressed the policy was designed to reward faculty for positive performance and it would only negatively affect a small number of faculty members. Over half of the policy was revised following the feedback from faculty senators, according to the Provost’s office.
“VCU’s proposed policy ensures we have a modern framework that supports faculty development and better protects the vital institution of tenure,” stated David Oglethorpe, assistant vice president for academic affairs communications.
The policy was initially introduced in January to be finalized at the Board of Visitors meeting in April, but faculty senators and stakeholders pushed for the timeline to be extended.
The policy is now set to be finalized at the June 4 board meeting, according to the Provost’s office. By that point, Gov. Abigail Spanberger will likely have three more of her own appointees on the board.
VCU’s Provost office sent an email response to faculty on April 21 with a video of Saavedra explaining the proposed policy.
The email stated the proposed policy is not designed to remove tenure, but to “preserve academic freedom,” and that VCU has an existing post-tenure review policy that has not been updated since 2013. It described the change as in-alignment with “other R1 public universities” — linking a website for the policy and its approval timeline.
What faculty are saying
Nanoscience professor Everett Carpenter told The CT the policy is “absolutely not rewarding.”
Carpenter said the proposal is inconsistent with existing VCU policies and that enforcing it would be a burden.
Carpenter added that faculty members would like to have a meaningful conversation with VCU administration so that the policy can be reworked and the implementation process can be slowed down.
Carpenter also explained that Auburn University implemented a similar post tenure review policy in its 2006-2007 school year to the one VCU is proposing, and later repealed the policy because it became such a burden.
It remained in effect for the 2007-2008 school year but was repealed by the following year. Auburn University followed a universal post tenure review policy model rather than the “trigger” model VCU is proposing. The universal post tenure review process became inefficient and expensive, according to the Auburn University Provost’s office.
Suzanne Makarem, an associate professor of marketing and faculty senator, is also opposed.
“The Provost’s office developed this new post-tenure review policy without meaningful faculty input, in direct conflict with VCU’s own shared governance principles and policy development requirements,” Makarem stated.
Makarem listed a number of ways the policy could negatively affect faculty if implemented, including damaging faculty recruitment and retention, placing women and underrepresented faculty at disproportionate risk and correlating with worse student graduation rates. She stated that the policy does not have an evidence-based reason for its implementation.
Those with a VCU login can view all 270 comments on the proposed policy at https://faculty.provost.vcu.edu/ptr/post-tenure-review/.