By Anna Williams
The Kentucky House of Representatives, along with other governmental institutions around the state and nation, have had a busy start to the new year. Policies that have the power to completely alter the livelihoods of civilians have established themselves as a trend within the legislature. The most recent addition to this trend is Kentucky House Bill 424 (HB424). This bill, sponsored by Representative James Tipton, proposes that each state university and the Kentucky Community Technical College System require faculty evaluations to be completed once every four years, regardless of tenure status.
The concept of tenure
Tenure is an important concept within academia because it protects those who have dedicated their life to the advancement of their field or specialty to retain a job in an institution where change is readily occurring. It also allows professors to obtain the ability to freely express their academic opinions — within the confines of the law and school policy — without fear of reprisal.
Most professors are able to gain tenure after their sixth or seventh year of working at a university or college successfully. Unfortunately, this award for superb work in academia has reached an all time low, as the percentage of professors receiving tenure in the United States has dwindled almost half since the 1990-1991 academic school year. Some contributors to the conversation that are concerned with the decrease of tenure recipients suggest that the decline of tenure is a manifestation on the attack of education-centered social justice, and I have to agree.
My Unique Stance
I see this bill proposed by Representative Tipton as nothing more than the government trying to establish more control over educational systems, and as a future professor of English, this threat to academic sovereignty concerns me.
I was shocked to read about Representative Tipton’s initiative for this bill to limit the freedom of well-established professors because I used to know him as a supporter of academics. Representative Tipton represents the school district within my hometown and I have vivid memories of receiving encouraging letters from the Congressman regarding my academic success in high school telling me to “never stop pushing towards achieving my goals.” Four years later, however, I am discouraged by his words and am fearful of what my future pursuit and career in academia will look like.
My professional aspiration of being in academia and my personal connection to Representative Tipton are not the only factors that worry me about HB424. My father’s position as the Chair for the School of Criminal Justice and Government at a public university is now under unnecessary scrutiny, despite his display of excellent instructional ability and leadership over the span of 10 years.
Non-academic personnel should not have such a substantial role in the establishment of what professorship looks like in Kentucky. Academics and future-academics should have a space in this conversation to enlighten those who have not spent countless hours reading, writing, researching, instructing, and presenting into why certain apparent aspects of academia, such as tenure, are necessary for progression of all those in academia.
