Higher ed board member questions tenure at 2-year schools

A State Board of Higher Education Committee delayed action on tenure requests from two-year colleges, including Bismarck State College, to discuss the tenure policy further. (Amy Dalrymple/North Dakota Monitor)

A State Board of Higher Education member on Wednesday questioned whether the university system should continue granting tenure to two-year college faculty.

The North Dakota University System’s tenure policy says, “The purpose of tenure is to assure academic freedom.”

“If the purpose of tenure is to provide academic freedom. How does tenure provide academic freedom in a technical education role?” Kevin Black asked Wednesday during a State Board of Higher Education committee meeting. 

The question came during a discussion of applications for tenure during the board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting. 

A list of faculty members applying for tenure included four Lake Region State College, four from the North Dakota State College of Science, three from Bismarck State College and one from Williston State College. Those schools offer primarily two-year programs. 

“I think this committee, and I think this board needs to really think hard about the application and the validity of tenure in a purely instructional setting,” Black said. 

Black ultimately made a motion to forward the tenure requests for the four-year schools to the full board but delay the requests from the two-year schools for further consideration at the committee’s next meeting in May.  

That motion was passed unanimously. 

Derek VanderMolen of Williston State is the president of the Council of College Faculties, which has faculty representatives from each of the 11 North Dakota campuses. He said Friday he would not be able to comment until after the council meets in May.

The American Association of University Professors website defines tenure as “an indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency and program discontinuation.”

Black called tenure a “significant award.” 

The policy outlines that tenure usually requires teaching at an institution for at least six years. Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Lisa Johnson said it is generally reserved for full-time faculty. 

A college president or dean would approve tenure before forwarding the recommendation to the state board. 

A chart included with the tenure agenda showed that 29% of faculty in the entire system have tenure. 

North Dakota State University leads at 49%. Williston State College also has one of the highest percentages, 48%. The University of North Dakota is at 27%. 

Bismarck State College President Doug Jensen said protecting academic freedom applies to research or writing on topics that may be controversial. 

Doug Darling, president of Lake Region State College, said two-year schools do deal with controversial topics, such as renewable energy or genetically modified organisms in agriculture. 

Johnson, who presented the tenure information and requests to the committee, said she was uneasy changing policy for the faculty “standing on the finish line” of being awarded tenure. 

“It’s something we need to think about in terms of policies and procedures moving ahead,” Johnson said. 

Jensen said it was a question worthy of discussion. 

“I think in the long run it will help to have that type of clarity,” Jensen said. 

During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers considered a bill that would have made it easier for presidents at Dickinson State University and Bismarck State College to remove tenured faculty. 

The Bismarck State College Faculty Senate was among groups that opposed the bill. In written testimony, the group said tenured faculty at North Dakota campuses “are not untouchable, permanent employees” and can be dismissed under existing state policies.

The state Senate defeated the bill.

The post Higher ed board member questions tenure at 2-year schools appeared first on North Dakota Monitor.