RE: [asa] DI Professor: 'Religion' behind tenure dispute

The ability to get grants diminishes with time and is best to have someone with tenure that does not really requires grants to continue to pursue his/her scientific interests. In addition, original work is usually not supported by grants. Of course, standard research is usually supported. In the final analysis, it is the determination and interest of the faculty member, those who have some sort of eternal flame in their belly for research that ought to get tenure.

 
Moorad

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From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu on behalf of SteamDoc@aol.com
Sent: Sun 7/15/2007 12:15 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] DI Professor: 'Religion' behind tenure dispute

In a message dated 7/14/2007 9:40:39 PM Mountain Daylight Time, alexanian@uncw.edu writes:

        1)Faculty members are hired with tenure, which means what you have done prior to the present appointment does indeed count and it should.
        
        

 
Faculty members are only hired with tenure if they already have a good record as a faculty member somewhere else (or occasionally a distinguished record in industry). At least that is the way it works at "research" universities which is what a place like Iowa State would consider itself.
The relevant point here is that *pre-faculty* work, like papers as a grad student, is not generally a significant factor because for tenure they want to see research *leadership*, and work done under others who are providing the intellectual leadership does not demonstrate that.

        
        3) To me the main thing is to do scientific work and not necessarily bring in money. I would rather have a faculty member who does good research without getting grants rather than have someone that may get grants but administers them or gets little accomplished with that grant support. Of course, I am a practicing scientist and not a greedy university administrator.
        

May your tribe increase!
Unfortunately, the "greedy university administrators" have a lot of say. My faculty friends tell me that, at most mid-level universities, the pressure to bring in external funding is heavy. It isn't just greed; the bigwigs want to enhance their university's reputation and pull themselves up to the level of Berkeley and MIT, and external funding is easily measured ("what gets measured, gets rewarded"). How big a factor the pressure for external funding is at Iowa State I don't know, but if they are typical for a mid-level state university, it is probably significant.
 
Allan (ASA Member)
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Dr. Allan H. Harvey, Boulder, Colorado | SteamDoc@aol.com
"Any opinions expressed here are mine, and should not be
attributed to my employer, my wife, or my cat"

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Received on Sun Jul 15 20:54:53 2007