ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 30, 1996 TAG: 9612020043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press
Tenure lately has come under increasing attack as a relic that shields bad professors, while proponents argue it is a vital perk that safeguards academic freedom.
Virginia educators and politicians say they have found a compromise: post-tenure review. The idea is to annually evaluate senior faculty members and threaten dismissal if the weakest ones don't improve.
``In any work force, you want people to be productive,'' said Margaret Miller, associate director of the State Council of Higher Education. ``When they're not, it's time for them to do something else.''
In 1993, Old Dominion University in Norfolk became the first state-supported school in Virginia to institute such a policy.
Legislators liked the idea so much they made it mandatory this year. The General Assembly told colleges they would not be eligible for faculty raises next month unless they adopted ``rigorous'' review policies for tenured professors.
Two weeks ago, the State Council of Higher Education approved all of the colleges' policies.
Unlike in other states, Virginia's policies were established with little fuss, Miller told council members. ``It has been a major accomplishment that there has been no disturbance about this issue,'' she said.
The details of the colleges' policies vary. Several follow the approach at Old Dominion, where a tenured faculty member who gets two straight negative annual reviews must craft a strategic plan to shore up weaknesses. If the professor doesn't improve in two years, punishment can include dismissal.
At Old Dominion, no professor has been fired under the policy, Provost Jo Ann Gora said. But she said it has prompted12 professors to leave or retire.
Some professors fear the policies are the first step in dismantling tenure.
``What we have concern about is that it may be used to get rid of persons that the administration may not want around,'' said James Tromater, a University of Richmond psychology professor. He also is past president of the state conference of the American Association of University Professors.
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