[lit-ideas] Re: Pausing Philosophically for Coffee off the B9086, with Tammie Norries

  • From: "Walter C. Okshevsky" <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Judith Evans <judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:40:10 -0230

Thanks to Judith for an interesting and seemingly well-informed report. But I am
able to take little solace, either conceptually or empirically, from the
narrative. 

Faculty without tenure who remain unconcerned about possible repercussions of
its absence on their professional futures are typically not the breed that
relies on tenure in order to have its necessary academic freedom preserved. But
they ought nevertheless to demand tenure for themselves and their colleagues in
light of possible future inquiries that may need such protection, if not on
grounds of principle. (Such demands are often shied away from by faculty who
... you guessed it ... don't have tenure.)

Not that one needs to fight dragonesque pharmaceutical companies as Nancy
Olivieri did, in order to appreciate and reap the benefits of tenure of course.
Sometimes, simply the freedom to pursue research that is not funded by an
external granting agency is reason enough. Moreover, being stellar at
grantsmanship is in no way a substitute for tenure. Either the publication of
rubbish, as Judith well puts it, will catch up with you, or your creative
juices will eventually dry up along with your demi-divine status.

Walter O
MUN



Quoting Judith Evans <judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

> The Institute of Education problem's an RAE one, I take it.  That -- the RAE
> -- has caused massive damage in some ways and in some places (and has
> massively increased the publication of rubbish).  The amount and type and
> timing of the damage did not, however, correlate with the number of faculty
> with tenure (NB, tenure was abolished *for new entrants to the profession and
> any others whose contract changed because they moved university and/or gained
> promotion).  Some universities, some departments, handled the RAE business
> reasonably well, others, in effect, made teaching a punishment; this did not
> correlate with tenure.
> 
> 
> US academics with tenure who moved here, for, of course, non-tenured posts,
> have written critiques of the UK system.  Not one mentions a lack of academic
> freedom in the traditional sense of the term.  Not one -- that I have read --
> mentions tenure. They do mention the administrative burden (British academics
> have to do work elsewhere done by administrators, and often have almost no
> administrative or secretarial backup), the checks on academics and the
> scrutiny of their work. (They also note the -- relatively recent: last two
> decades -- emergence of a hyperprivileged group of UK academics, almost all
> of whom, by the way, lack tenure, whose teaching duties are very light and
> arranged to suit their convenience, whose research leave is generous, who
> receive massive backup, whose publications or "publications", whose
> grant-attracting or potential for grant-attracting, whose reputation for,
> well, having a reputation, make them into a new race of demi-gods;
>  people even more privileged than teir US counterparts.)  
> 
> I endorse their critiques.
> 
> I was tenured. I came to envy US academics with tenure.  Their life was
> nirvana, compared to mine.  But the difference lay in structures of
> governance, mores, and practical arrangements. My salary covered twelve
> months, I could be required to carry out administrative duties through the
> summer months.  I could not, as tenured US academics can, choose to write
> more slowly, forgoing promotion temporarily, without retribution. And so on. 
> 
> 
> My London college had no research leave provisions.  Its "tenure" contracts
> didn't confer tenure.  It had -- as most universities did then -- permanent
> heads of department with massive power (but it also had vibrant faculties). I
> had an academic freedom there that I was never to know again.  York had the
> second strongest tenure contracts in the country and good research leave
> provisions.  Academic freedom?  Not so strong... .  Governance structure? 
> (Never mind. It would take too long... . Suffice it to say, it was based on
> divide and rule, and it worked.)  Tenure in a snakepit doesn't change the
> snakepit. 
> 
> Here, universities have failed to stand up to governments, and
> faculties/schools/departments have failed to stand up to universities. (And
> some have failed more blatantly than others.) But tenure really has played a
> minor part in all of this, the US (and, it seems, Canadian) faculty system
> (for tenured faculty, yes) salary structure, and folkways, have made the
> difference. 
> 
> Have the courage to admit that it follows, as day
> > follows night, that
> > there is no academic freedom in Britain.
> 
> First, there is academic freedom here, still.  Second, the tendencies you
> lament do not even correlate fully with the abolition of tenure, as -- as I
> would agree -- the coming of the dawn correlates with night's ending, the
> dark, with the absence of light.
> 
>  
> Judy Evans, Cardiff
> 
> --- On Wed, 17/8/11, Walter C. Okshevsky <wokshevs@xxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > From: Walter C. Okshevsky <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
> > Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Pausing Philosophically for Coffee off the B9086,
> with Tammie Norries
> > To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Donal McEvoy" <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Date: Wednesday, 17 August, 2011, 22:55
> > Quoting Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
> > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --- On Wed, 17/8/11, Walter C. Okshevsky <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
> > wrote:
> > > 
> > > 
> > > > There is no academic freedom, either in research
> > or
> > > > teaching without it. [I.e. tenure].
> > > 
> > > It would seem to follow, given that tenure has
> > virtually disappeared here as
> > > Judy says, that there is "no academic freedom" in
> > Britain. Hmm.
> > > 
> > > This is such a high horse to ride in defence in tenure
> > that it think it might
> > > be advisable to dismount.
> > 
> > Skipper's recent posting has definitely caused a decline in
> > our capacities for
> > rational argument; we are reduced to erecting 
> > positions embedded only in 
> > vivid and enticing sexual metaphors. 
> > 
> > Re "Hmm:" I strongly suggest that Donal rethink her
> > criteria of "advisability."
> > For it doesn't "seem" anything. Donal's position is surely
> > part of the problem
> > here. Have the courage to admit that it follows, as day
> > follows night, that
> > there is no academic freedom in Britain. There, it has been
> > asserted. Do the
> > planets continue in their orbits? 
> > 
> > When faculty at, zum beispiel, the Institute of
> > Education, University of London, are assessed according to
> > the degree to which
> > their research bears "impact" on practical policy matters
> > and when they are
> > criticized in government sponsored audits of their
> > departments for the  pursuit
> > of "academic individualism" that fails to contribute to the
> > coffers of silver
> > of
> > the University, you can be certain that Heather hasn't a
> > prayer.
> > 
> > Sir Walter of O
> > MUN
> > 
> > 
> > > 
> > > Donal
> > > London
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > >
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