Despite visible discontent from faculty members in the room, the UW System Board of Regents passed three resolutions regarding tenure policy at its meeting Thursday.
The regents looked for an immediate replacement for tenure policy after Gov. Scott Walker struck it from state statutes last July. The resolutions outline a variety of measures surrounding conditions for tenured faculty, post-tenure review of faculty performance and procedures related to financial emergency or program discontinuance in which it would be necessary to lay off tenured faculty.
After several smaller edits to resolution language directed by Regent Vice President John Behling, Regent Tony Evers proposed three amendments in line with suggestions from faculty systemwide. He said these amendments would make the resolutions stronger, give priority to “educational considerations” when discussing tenured faculty and better protect academic freedoms.
One amendment Evers advocated for dealt with a specific line in one of the resolutions stating faculty layoff would only be an option in extraordinary circumstances, when all other feasible alternatives have been considered. He suggested the word “considered” be replaced with “pursued,” in order to demonstrate a more active commitment to finding these alternatives.
Behling expressed concern that this would limit chancellors’ flexibilities in finding solutions to situations where tenured faculty must be laid off, but Regent Mark Bradley said using “pursued” would comply with language at the university’s peer institutions.
“‘Pursued’ is the industry standard,” Bradley argued. “Stick with the language that is all over the United States, and we will not be giving people an opportunity to claim that Regents are weakening tenure.”
The additional amendments refined language to put the primary focus on educational considerations over financial considerations in laying off tenured faculty.
Several regents spoke about the contrasts between systems of public higher education and privatized businesses, discussing how much of a factor financial considerations should be when making decisions to lay off tenured faculty.
Regent José Vásquez expressed his disapproval at comparing the UW System to any element of the business world, saying that the environments are different.
All three amendments Evers proposed were defeated, and the board ultimately passed the resolutions as a whole.
Beth Lueck, president of the UW-Whitewater chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said she is very disappointed that “as usual, politics trumps education.” She said many of the policies implemented were results of pressure from outside the UW System and would not improve Wisconsin higher education.
“They’ve created a problem and now are trying to solve it this way,” Lueck said. “I don’t think it will strengthen education or the UW System, I think it will hurt it.”
