modified from modifications at http://brianhuddleston.blogspot.com/2009/04/cartoon-on-receiving-tenure.html
From JAF
Critics of tenure argue that, though tenure may be advantageous to individual faculty, increased use of non‐tenure‐track appointments best contributes to organizational economy and flexibility through cost savings, eased response to enrollment shifts, and reduced resistance to curricular adaptation and programmatic reforms. Advocates of tenure respond that non‐tenure‐track appointments weaken the academic profession through the establishment of a two‐tier employment structure and diminished protections for professional autonomy. read more here.
i think tenure is crucial to pursuit and communication of new knowledge;
anyone fearing what thy find or say might get them unpopular and a target to get fired will not take on high risk research or promote provocative new ideas.
in this sense we cannot do well as scholars without the protection of tenure.
in red scare days, 6 uw profs were hauled before regents by their president to be fired, 3 got fired, for being thought to be communists or communist sympathizers.
this week the wisconsin republican party has asked for a search of a faculty’s computer to see if it was used to fight the governor of wisconsin and his republican colleagues, clearly aimed to intimidate the outspogken prof.
young untenured faculty will not speak out in opposition to their chairman in fear of not getting support for tenure