Could A New Bill Change Tenure For Alabama Professors?
When the Alabama Legislature returns to work Tuesday after taking a week for spring break, lawmakers will have six days to act on the state's two budgets and a lot of other significant legislation. Among the bills awaiting in the house is one that would directly impact the University of Alabama and other higher education institutions - a redefinition of tenure for professors and the authority of faculty senates.
Tenue is an indefinite, often lifelong, appointment achieved after a probationary period. It makes firing difficult and protects professors from firing due to unpopular or controversial teaching or research. It does not protect a professor from discipline due to breaking the law or violating university policy. They can be fired "for cause".
Proponents of tenure see it as a form of job security, protecting against retaliation. Opponents regard tenure as a way to protect unproductive professors. They also claim it can cause limitations on hiring educators with new ideas because tenured professors remain at schools for long periods.
At UA all full-time, regular faculty members are subject to annual evaluations.
Politically, some politicians often see tenure as a way to protect political bias. That view has been raised in the wake of controversial social media posts by several state educators in reaction to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
As defined on the University of Alabama's website, "The Faculty Senate has the responsibility and authority to deliberate issues of general faculty concern and to communicate the results of these deliberations and its recommendations to the President of the University."
House Bill 580, sponsored by Elmore County Rep. Troy Stubbs (R-31) would, "...provide that faculty senates may only be established by the governing board of a public institution of higher education and provide that the faculty senate may be only advisory in nature." It would remove faculty-senate members from any final decision-making on a campus.
Stubbs' legislation would also require schools to develop a tenure policy and also, "require periodic post-tenure reviews and authorize the dismissal of a tenured faculty member in certain circumstances."
UA's tenure policy is addressed in the online Faculty Handbook.
College accrediting organizations have procedures that protect tenure and academic freedom. Rep, Stubbs, apparently realizing that, placed wording in SB580 that would prohibit such organizations, "...from requiring a public institution of higher education to violate this bill (SB580) or from taking adverse action against an institution for its compliance with this bill."
Several UA professors, who did not want to be named for this article for fear of retribution, voiced concern that passage of the bill would result in an exodus to other states of quality teaching at Alabama's higher education institutions.
According to his biography on the website Ballotpedia, Stubbs earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Alabama, a master's degree in sports administration from the University of Louisville, and a master's degree in secondary mathematics from Alabama State University.
If passed, the bill would go into effect Oct. 1.
More From Tuscaloosa Thread
