tenure
TagEducational Gag Orders, etc. in the US
What are state legislatures across the United States doing to limit academic freedom and otherwise interfere in education? (more…)
Florida Philosophical Association Calls for University Leaders to Stand Up to “Government Overreach into the Academy”
In the face of legislation proposed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis that would violate academic freedom, erode tenure protections, and diminish faculty governance at the state’s universities and colleges (see a summaries here and here) the Florida Philosophical Association (FPA) has issued a letter to the leaders of those schools calling for them to “uphold and pub..
Seeking Feedback on “Good Practices Guide” – Part 3
This is the third in a series of posts soliciting comments on a draft “Good Practices Guide” for advancing diversity in philosophy. (more…)
Some Good News, Some Bad News in the APA’s State of the Profession Report (guest post)
The American Philosophical Association (APA) today released a new report, “State of the Profession 1967-2017 and Beyond: Institutions and Faculty.” (more…)
Philosophy Department and Others Targeted by Cuts at Canisius College
John J. Hurley, the president of Canisius College, a private liberal arts college in upstate New York, has announced that the school plans on laying off faculty, many tenured, including members of the Department of Philosophy. (more…)
Scholars Threaten Boycott in Solidarity with Graduate Students & Non-Tenure-Track Faculty
A number of scholars, including over forty philosophers, have signed onto a statement saying they “will not accept invitations for speaking engagements, workshops, and conferences” at universities and colleges that have failed to include non-tenure-track faculty and graduate students in their pandemic-prompted plans for extensions and accomodations to tenure-track a..
Tenure in the Time of Corona (guest post)
The following is a guest post* by a philosopher who went up for tenure this year. (more…)
Wheeling Jesuit University Eliminates Philosophy Department (Updated)
Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU), a Catholic college in West Virginia, is eliminating its Department of Philosophy, including laying off its tenured faculty and ceasing course offerings, in an attempt to overcome financial difficulties. (more…)
Faculty Job Security & Academic Freedom
Seventy-three percent of faculty at institutions of higher education in the United States are neither tenured nor on the tenure-track, according to a new report from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). (more…)
“Research Active Faculty” Criteria
(NOTE: I’m reposting this because there appeared to be problems with commenting on the original version.) A philosophy professor writes in with some questions about whether, and if so, how, various universities classify tenured faculty and distribute responsibilities among them: (more…)
Poems on Academia by Felicia Nimue Ackerman
The following is a guest post* of poems, mostly about academia, by Felicia Nimue Ackerman, professor of philosophy at Brown University. (more…)
Mills College Board of Trustees Approves Revised Plan: Philosophy Not Entirely Eliminated
The Mills College Board of Trustees on Monday approved a revised version of its “Financial Stabilization Plan.” The original version of the plan called for the firing its tenured philosophy faculty, full professor and department head Marc Joseph and associate professor Jay Gupta, and eliminating the Philosophy Department. The approved plan fired Joseph (who had call..
180 Seconds To Save Their Jobs
On June 6th, the Mills College administration and Board of Trustees announced plans to eliminate philosophy at Mills College and fire its two tenured philosophy professors, Marc Joseph and Jay Gupta. On Friday, the Board of Trustees offered each of them three minutes to provide testimony in defense of philosophy and their jobs. (more…)
Philosophers From Women’s Colleges Oppose Eliminating Philosophy At Mills
Philosophers at Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard—all women’s colleges—have authored a letter opposing the proposed elimination of the philosophy department at Mills College. (more…)
Petition Launched to Preserve Philosophy at Mills College
In the wake of news reported last Wednesday that the administration and Board of Trustees of Mills College plans to eliminate the school’s philosophy department and fire its tenured faculty, a petition has been launched to “Uphold Principles of Academic Freedom and Preserve the Philosophy and Journalism Departments at Mills College.” (more…)
Tenure Publication Requirements and Pre-Tenure Leave For Philosophers At Liberal Arts Colleges
A philosopher writes in with the hopes that the Daily Nous readership can help with a query: (more…)
Mills College Plans To Eliminate Philosophy Department
Following up on the report about the threat to philosophy at Mills College: the Board of Trustees and administration at Mills announced late yesterday afternoon the details of its “Financial Stabilization Plan” and it includes laying-off both Marc Joseph, a tenured full professor, and Jay Gupta, a tenured associate professor, who together comprise the entire philoso..
Philosophy Major, Tenured Professors at Risk at Mills College
The Department of Philosophy at Mills College in Oakland, California is one of a few departments that the school’s administration has identified as operating at a “negative net revenue,” and as a result, the administration may eliminate the philosophy major and tenured philosophy faculty at the school may lose their jobs. (more…)
Univ. St. Thomas Administration Plans to “Terminate” Philosophy PhD Program (Update: Plans Have Changed)
The philosophy department… has been told that the administration plans to go to the board in the next week or two and terminate the PhD program. This, we are told, would allow the administration to change the terms of our contracts and increase course loads and remove tenure.
The foregoing remarks are from a statement sent to Daily Nous by John Hittinger, chai..
Philosophy Under Threat at Univ. of St. Thomas Houston (updated)
It is standard operating procedure at the University of St. Thomas (Houston) for faculty to receive and return their renewal contracts for the following academic year by May 15th. May 15th has come and gone, and not one of the 11 members of the university’s Department of Philosophy has received their contract (neither has anyone in the English Department there). (mo..
How Does Your Department Count Grant Writing?
Writing a grant—that is, applying for one—can be an extraordinarily laborious exercise, requiring the creation and packaging of academic work, the completion of various administrative tasks such as crafting a budget and obtaining required institutional approvals, the coordination of academics across multiple schools, consultations with funding agencies, and so o..
Tenure Threatened in Iowa and Missouri
State legislators in Iowa and Missouri have introduced legislation to eliminate tenure for public colleges and universities in their states. While the Missouri bill would have schools cease tenure-track hiring in 2018, the Iowa bill goes further, proposing to take tenure away from those who already have it, according to reports from Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicl..
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Writing a Tenure Letter But Were Afraid to Ask (guest post by David Boonin)
The following is a guest post* by David Boonin. He is currently professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he has also been department chair and associate dean. He noticed that there did not appear to be much in the way of guidance when it came to writing external review letters for people under consideration for tenure, and sought to reme..
Chicago State’s Sudden Layoffs Include A Tenured Philosopher
Chicago State University has been facing a financial crisis. It relies on the state of Illinois for about 30% of its budget, but, owing to the previous financial and budgeting decisions the university’s administrators had made, along with the state’s “budget stalemate that left higher education without a dime for most of last year—and then provided only partial fu..
When To Say Yes & When To Say No in Academia
An assistant professor of philosophy writes in with an important question that I imagine a lot of academics spend time pondering: (more…)
Letter Protesting Dickinson’s Treatment of Sartwell
Joel Pust (Delaware) and Eric Winsberg (South Florida) have authored an open letter in regards to philosopher Crispin Sartwell’s employment status at Dickinson College: “Academics’ Statement of Protest Regarding Dickinson College’s Treatment of Professor Crispin Sartwell.” They invite philosophers and other academics to sign. (For some context, see this post.)
Fr..
Fund Legal Help for Fired Professors
A GoFundMe site has been created to collect donations for Thane Naberhaus and Edward Egan, the two professors recently fired from Mount Saint Mary’s University by the university’s president, Simon Newman. The story has been summed up well by a fellow philosopher’s comment about Newman: “He wanted to use a fraudulent mental health survey to target students for elimin..
A Modest Proposal: Slow Philosophy (guest post by Jennifer Whiting)
The following is a guest post* by Jennifer Whiting (Pittsburgh).
A Modest Proposal: Slow Philosophy
by Jennifer Whiting
In his review of Moral Prejudices by Annette Baier, Colin McGinn claimed that Baier had proposed that universities accommodate the demands of women’s reproductive clocks by allowing women to postpone tenure decisions until the age of 50 ..