Turn away from tenure’s dark side

After retiring as a university VP and CIO, I researched and consulted with over a hundred higher education institutions on four continents regarding information technology...administrative and pedagogical. One of the most prevalent complaints regarding an institution's ability to implement new technologies involved the roadblocks that tenured faculty caused. These involved everything from a researcher in the materials chips were comprised of trying to dictate how to manage the largest systems in the university to faculty who refused to change or adapt a more efficient or effective system for the benefit of the university as a whole for weak or nebulous reasons - personal reasons, not organizational ones. Tellingly, some of the comments and examples regarding the problems emanating from some tenured faculty came from OTHER tenured faculty...and senior level administrative officers. After observing both the good and the bad effects of tenure at a number of institutions, I remain extremely skeptical as to the overall value of tenure to an institution.

This was such a lovely read - from a writing perspective. Unsurprised to know the writer is a professor of English. :-)

... that “tenure” may adventitiously uncloak personality traits that have always been present anyway but skillfully suppressed speaks less to any negative of tenure and more to human capability to hide the alter ego until opportune moments. Tenure uncovers/ amplifies what has always been . ‘what has always been’ seems the primary problem Basil jide fadipe.