UA official says prof did 'disservice'

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat "It does faculty a disservice to say that they won't speak freely while they're being reviewed." Elizabeth Ervin UA vice provost for academic personnel

Elizabeth Ervin, the University of Arizona's vice provost for academic personnel, said most tenured faculty should feel little effect when an annual review takes place.

"It's only when they're found deficient or unsatisfactory that post-tenure procedures come into play," Ervin told about 25 audience members in the Memorial Student Union Senior Ballroom as part of a post-tenure debriefing workshop.

After the meeting, Ervin said UA English professor Peter Medine did a "disservice" to faculty members when he spoke at a forum last week.

At an American Association of University Professors forum, Medine said tenured faculty reviews leave a "chilling effect."

Tenured instructors have their positions guaranteed unless serious reasons for dismissal are uncovered. In 1997-1998, the UA had 1,152 tenured professors, according to a post-tenure-review summary.

Ervin took issue with Medine's analysis of the university's review policies.

"I don't think the effects that Peter (Medine) claims to feel have taken place, (and) certainly not to the degree that he implied," Ervin said. "It does faculty a disservice to say that they won't speak freely while they're being reviewed."

Ervin also said post-tenure reviews do not threaten job security.

"It only questions it if someone is egregiously deficient and refuses to do something about it," she said. "It has systems built into it to support faculty who need improvement."

Medine was not at the event yesterday and unavailable for comment.

Ervin and five other panelists went on to explain different aspects of post-tenure review's history and current status.

She praised the relationship between the Arizona Board of Regents and the three state universities, saying that past communication was strained.

"When we started this process, we were very adversarial," she said. "Now, they work with us and we work with them instead of duking it out."

Ervin said regents wanted to eliminate the tenure system altogether three years ago. But after coaxing from university provosts and committees, tenure was saved and post-tenure review was born.

She said the annual review process that instructors endure helps "reacquaint" some departments with their standards.

"But in other departments, we found a total disconnect," she said.

Ervin would not elaborate on exact departments after the meeting, saying few departments ignored the mandate and others performed the reviews in less formal manners.

Eugene Sander, vice provost for the College of Agriculture, said he is concerned that the UA is on the "cutting edge" of faculty reviews. He said the UA could lose prospective employees because of the annual and post-tenure review processes.

"People may ask themselves the question - do I need this hassle?," Sander said. "Why don't I go to Purdue?"

Sander advised the group to be "a little bit careful" with the review system.

David.J.Cieslak can be reached via e-mail at David.J.Cieslak@wildcat.arizona.edu.