Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tenure
On the Friday before Spring Break, Baylor announced tenure decisions. 29 professors were up for tenure, none of them from the law school. Several of my friends, however, who teach undergraduates, did receive decisions on their tenure applications. At least two of them were denied tenure, I'm sorry to say. I don't know about the background on those decisions, so I won't comment further other than to say that I wish things were different, as I like and value both of them.
On the positive side, two of my favorite people got tenure:
Deanna Toten Beard
Deanna is one of my heroes of teaching. She is a dramaturg, which means that she teaches theater history. For several years now she has assisted me in my criminal practice class through the use of Susan Glaspell's play, "Trifles," and we co-authored an article about the experience which was recently published in the Texas Theater Journal. I consider her not so much a colleague as one of my teachers, since I learn something almost every time I encounter her. Lenore Wright
Lenore is one of my favorite philosophers. She is smart, focused, and a good writer-- I actually read her book and understood it, even though I rarely venture into that genre. I have visited her class and saw the impact she has on her students, who clearly love her and value what she does. If I was an undergraduate, she is one of the professors I would seek out as a mentor, and I'm proud and glad that she will be staying with us here at Baylor.
Comments:
<< Home
I just read something about a Hollywood movie--not a documentary-- that's in production now about professors getting tenure . . . will have some pretty famous actor in it whose name I can't remember now . . . there was speculation about how good a movie it would be, but it sounds different, anyway. I like movies about academia.
And congratulations to the real-live faculty who got tenure.
And congratulations to the real-live faculty who got tenure.
# posted by 
: 5:22 PM
: 5:22 PM 
Alas, the number of those denied tenure has now been determined to be 12 -- all but two women. This is very, very disturbing since in the case of the person in my department he/she exceeded all publishing requirements and received the highest recommendations anyone can ever remember at the departmental level. This is a case of the rules changing in mid-stream and I was delighted to learn of at least two legal challenges now in preparation. "Christian" universities don't do this. But then, a real Christian university wouldn't have no females in any kind of significant leadership position, even though the student body is closing in on 60-65 percent women.
# posted by : 8:37 PM
: 8:37 PM
Baylor has systemic problems in its leadership and governance. I had hoped they wwould have resolved themselves a couple of years ago, but alas, they seem only to have gotten worse.
Sad times in Waco.
Post a Comment
Sad times in Waco.
<< Home
