Provost Debra Austin says she doesn't want to be President. That's assuming we actually believe that FAMU is conducting a presidential search and will name a new President by March.
In her meeting with faculty today, the Provost also answered faculty questions. See: Austin says FAMU is progressing, but more must be done
There are 730 non-tenured members in FSU's overall faculty head count of 1,878.
ReplyDeleteOnly six in 10 faculty members at Florida State University have the job rights and academic freedom tied to tenure or being on the tenure track.
About 100 faculty members Wednesday attended a discussion of the subcommittee report - including Greg Boebinger, director of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, who called the report "precisely on target." At the mag lab, 93 percent of faculty are non-tenured.
Non-tenured full-time faculty have varied duties, academic-degree levels and salaries, with some just teaching and others doing research.
"It's a cheap way to get teaching done," Cobbe said. "If you go over the last dozen years, the number of regular faculty -- tenure track and tenured - has scarcely changed at FSU. But the number of non-tenured track has increased substantially."
Sixty percent of non-tenured faculty say their promotion standards are unclear, 36 percent think they're not viewed as peers by tenured faculty and 32 percent think their jobs are not secure. That's based on 219 responses from a faculty survey done last spring by the subcommittee.
Nationally, the trend of university full-time faculty without tenure ballooned from 8 percent in 1987 to 21 percent in 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And at the state's newest university, Florida Gulf Coast, tenure doesn't even exist.
Examples of the proportion of FSU non-tenured faculty by academic area: 50 percent in computational science and information technology; 46 percent in nursing and social work; 43 percent in law; 26 percent in arts and sciences; and 22 percent in business.
An issue raised at the meeting was whether there should be a cap on non-tenured FSU faculty, something not suggested in the report. Subcommittee members and other faculty said that might be ill-advised, since needs aren't consistent across academic areas.
Math professor Alec Kercheval noted, for instance, that eight to 10 instructors with master's degrees teach thousands of undergraduates how to sweat through pre-calculus. "They need to be on a career path" but don't need Ph.D.s for their work, he said.
"There isn't a right proportion" that fits all circumstances, agreed Abele.
"Tenure and non-tenure are a world apart" is one comment in the faculty survey, which also recorded "Why even hope?" as a response to the chance of promotion.
"These guys did a lot of work to dig out what the facts were," Cobbe said of the report. "It's been a big bone of contention for a long time that nobody knew the facts." Calling the report a draft, Cobbe said the recommendations are not yet complete.
At Florida State University, tenure gives a professor continuous employment in the absence of misconduct or incompetence. Few are hired as tenured faculty; those on a tenure track generally are evaluated after six years for tenure based on quality of teaching and research.
FSU doesn't have issues with SACS with these statistics so why is it a problem at FAMU? It's because of these idiots that call themselves administrators.
She's apart of the Trojan Horse Party.
ReplyDeleteI-Don't trust her.
Ok, so Debra says that she doesn't "intend" to apply for the presidency. It doesn't mean that she "won't" apply for the presidency. An intention is not the same as a definite "no." A lot of people don't "intende" on doing something, but, quite frankly, "wind" up doing those very same things anyway. On time will tell if her statement holds water.
ReplyDeleteDebra intention is to get someone to nominate her for the post since she brings such scholarly experience and community college background to the table. LOL. If TCC did not hire her to run their two-year institution, what in the blink is she doing at FAMU? She has made such a mockery of the Provost office following in the footsteps of a true scholar in Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
ReplyDeleteAn important part of the FSU report quoted above deserves our attention:
ReplyDeleteMath professor Alec Kercheval noted, for instance, that eight to 10 instructors with master's degrees teach thousands of undergraduates how to sweat through pre-calculus. "They need to be on a career path" but don't need Ph.D.s for their work, he said.
FSU is working to get tenure for math professors with masters degrees, so why is Castell Bryant firing FAMUans with similar credentials? It certainly can't be because of any of the reasons stated so far by her or her hench(wo)men.
that's b/c FSU sucks. To really be considered hardcore, you need PhDs teaching as much as possible. If anything, experienced grad students could be teaching some of these pre-cal level courses.
ReplyDeleteBut Bryant is indeed F'ing up all over the place.
When did FSU become the academic standard that FAMU should strive for? I think if you ask academicians around the country to name the top 100 prestigious universities in the country FSU would not make the list. FSU at best is a very large good regional school that has very good sports programs. We said we want to be the best. Let's emulate the best and not use average as our standard.
ReplyDeleteIt is common in very large institutions to use a lot of Master's degree people to teach undergraduate courses. Most large schools could not afford tenured faculty to teach all of the courses. That is a common complaint of many students is to have graduate students and instructors teach them---people who are not really invested in the fabric of an institution. People who know the basics and not the latest and greatest.
The reason many people choose prestigious universities is to be taught by the great minds of our times. That is what tenure is amount---you have demonstrated scholarly research, you are recognized in your field as an expert, you are contributing to the advancement of knowledge.
Ask the students amount the many non-tenured faculty who many times are teaching at several institutions at one time. Hard to reach during office hours, may only be there for one semester, etc.
It also talks about non-tenured faculty as researchers which is another dimension. Don't confuse non-tenured teaching faculty to non-tenured faculty. Many schools have post-docs and long-term personnel who do nothing but research. They have no responsibility for instruction. Therefore, the number that is represented is inflated and you need to remove all of those non-teaching non-tenured track persons off the roles.
The author also quotes it is a cheap way to get teaching done. However, the cost for a college education is not cheap. Students pay top dollar and should have the best instruction. Furthermore, we should want the best at FAMU.
My vision for FAMU is that it become a think tank for black america and minority concerns. In the future we would become the thinkt ank for Africans in the diaspora. This would mean that any time people want to understand how different issues impact people of color, they would call FAMU. We would be the expert on all things black---how to market to people of color, how to teach people of color, health care in people of color, violence in the community.
This vision is not reached by loading your faculty up with minor league players who do not feel the need to advance their careers. Also many of these non-tenure track people in many cases are people working on their PhD.
Rattlers, we want to be the Harvard and Yale of the South, not FSU.
Hmmm... Let's see, we have falling enrollment, falling SATs, falling GPAs, falling foundation balances, falling research dollars, a hundred or so lawsuits pending for management errors...
ReplyDeleteFSU has rising scores, a fast-growing endowment, increased research, and a nobel laureate or two...
Yeah, let's definitely not aspire to be anything like them.
All sarcasm aside, you'll never reach your vision for FAMU by following the current path or the current leadership, or the people who appointed (or was it annointed) them!
Never said stay on the same path... That is why the new president does not necessarily need to be a FAMU recyclable. We need a proven leader, independent of the FAMU mix and the Florida politics who will not be constrained by exisiting relationships. We need a person who understands higher education, has been a college president (preferably not in the black college arena), that can bring a fresh perspective on moving our university forward. Someone who has presided over a state supported school similar in size to FAMU. I know this person is out there.
ReplyDeleteMy vote for the next president of FAMU is Freeman Hrabowski, PhD. Yes he is an African-American. I ask that you all check him out (google him) and tell me what you think. If you agree let's move forward on circulating his information and profile to our alumni to start pushing his name and hopefully get him to consider coming to FAMU.
ReplyDeleteto the above poster at 9:45 I think what the faculty member precluded to is us aspiring to greater heights than FSU. They shouldnt be our standard, and they will not be.
ReplyDeleteIt's rumored that Little Debbie is trying to head to Jax. She's got her eye on the presidency of Edward Waters College.
ReplyDeleteIf the black citizens in Jax have to depend on Mayor Adam Herbert and EWC president Debra Austin for leadership, then they are going to be in some very serious trouble.
Is Jax just becoming a dumping ground for blacks who want leadership positions but have no credibility in the black community? I hope Corrine Brown speaks up against this troubling trend.
They are not a standard to aspire to be. If I went to a PWI, it DEFINITELY was not gonna be FSU. No love lost for my fellow criminoles. Look at our mission, they don't jive. Hugh B Price and Cornell West aren't really available, but we CAN get one or both of them. We need a leader, not a boyscout who can read the map and follow the footsteps of FSU so that we could easily fold into their program. Not log ago that school was anointed by the Bushes and ever since Charlie Ward and the football team winning the jackpot for slaveholders, the campus seems to have sprawled since. I'm getting off my box! I'm offended. If the grass looks greener, eat it!
ReplyDeleteMy vote for the next president of FAMU is Freeman Hrabowski, PhD. Yes he is an African-American. I ask that you all check him out (google him) and tell me what you think. 9/27/2006 11:18 AM
ReplyDeleteDon't need to. If we want another Adam Herbert (10 percenter) we may as well hire Adam Herbert. We need a person that will be able to speak to the masses and not just the elite and well-educated; repair our image; build a new generation of educated black folks; rebuild faculty confidence and the likes.
With that said, Harbowski is an okay guy, but not the right guy IMO for this presidency.
Debra Austin like memorex on WCTV Channel 6 - Tallahassee
ReplyDeleteThe glass is more than half full at FAMU. Those words coming from FAMU Provost Debra Austin at the State of Academic Affairs.
Austin says progress has been made at FAMU, with the school being named as a top university by Black Enterprise magazine and she doesn't want it to end there. On Tuesday, she asked faculty members to put student academic achievement first, to work on retaining freshman, moving them through general studies as fast as possible, and boosting graduation rates. She said the Sophomore class numbers are down this year and it cannot be ignored. Lewis Johnson, a FAMU associate professor of physics said, "I think the Provost laid out a vision and that's what we're looking for, goals and a road map and having policies and procedures in place so that we can get through the turmoil that we're going through now is something everybody is looking for." She also stressed the importance of adhering to GPA and fiscal standards. Austin says FAMU will be hiring up to 35 new "committed and qualified" faculty members for next year and the Board of Trustees also expects to name a permanent president in the next year.
Go here to see tape:
http://www.wctv6.com/home/headlines/4241836.html
nNo arguement there, 9:00
ReplyDeleteHey, listen up. FAMU is not going to be the Harvard of anywhere, South, North, East or West. And while it certainly has the academic faculty and facilities to become more than what it presently is, as long as it has the administrative problems that has leveled the institition in the past few years, it will remain the "teaching" institution that it always has been. Debra Austin is proposing that faculty members begin teaching FIVE courses. This is from, of course, an adminstrator/provost whose academic background is with the community college. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteHarvard and Yale have a very large percentage of students with very high academic standing, motivation, learning skills, and extracurricular talents.
ReplyDeleteThey have vast endowments. Wealthy alumni. Outstanding administrations. Deep support from foundations. Many, many world-class faculty (tell me again how many Nobel Prize winners work at FAMU).
It is sheer fantasy for FAMU to aspire to compete in that arena. FAMU has a different role. We are a state university with a special mission. We don't have to be Harvard. We have to be FAMU.
That's what we need to work toward.
Obviously you have not read his bio because if you had you would not be comparing him to Adam Hebert. There is no comparision. Dr. Hrabowski is a brilliant person who received his PhD at the age of 24. He has also been concerned with the education of African Americans specifically in the area of math & science. He is widely published and has written books on educating African Americans. He is currently the president of the University of MD at Baltimore County and has been for about 14 years. The campus is a state school with a population of 12,000, very similar to FAMU. Furthermore, he sits on about 4-5 corporate boards. UMBC currently has a capital campaign underway to raise $100M. So far, they are still in the silent phase tand hey have raised $60M.
ReplyDeleteHe established a very prestigious scholarship program at his university for black scholars (sounds like Life Gets Better). Unfortunately because of changes in regulations for race-based scholarships it was opened up to all students. Lastly, Dr. Hrabowski understands the hbcu experience. He is a Hampton grad and he is a Southerner from Birmingham, AL. He can also relate to the Southern flavor of Tallahassee and Florida. As a young man, Dr. Hrabowski was involved in the civil rights movement and has always worked for us.
We really should do some research on people before engaging our mouths. The question is "Will he give up his cush job" to come to FAMU and deal with the crazies here who think they know it all, but in reality know very little. He fits the profile of what FAMU needs to secure the future---a person with presidential experience at a state supported school similar in size to FAMU, he is an academician and widely published in his field and highly respected, he understands the black college experience and its experiences, he is a demonstrated fundraiser with corporate ties, he understands the South and its mentality, he understands the trends regarding African Americans.
We do not need to spend any more time with wannabes and recycling people. We need fresh brilliant ideas to lead FAMU forward.
What is the AA enrollment at UMBC?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the AA graduation rate at UMBC?
What is his relationship with Hampton?
Is he a dues paying member of the HAM NAA and does he give back financially and in a meaningful way?
BTW, Condoleeza Rice grew up in B-Ham, etc, etc. Do you think she empathize/relates to the Black experience today? How about Colin Powell?
"FSU at best is a very large good regional school that has very good sports programs. We said we want to be the best. Let's emulate the best and not use average as our standard."
ReplyDeleteFAMU has to pull itself up to average before it can even think about "emulating the best."
Over the past three decades, Freeman Hrabowski has spent much of his professional career studying minority student achievement and addressing the achievement gap between minority and white students. He has focused special attention on the underrepresentation of minority students, particularly African Americans, in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. A key outcome of his efforts was the creation in 1988 of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program for high-achieving minority students in these fields at the University of Maryland , Baltimore County (UMBC), a predominantly white, public research university founded in 1966.
ReplyDeleteBy all measures, the program's positive outcomes are striking. Approximately 600 competitively selected students have enrolled in the program, and since the first group of graduates in 1993, nearly 400 Meyerhoff students have earned degrees, with 85% going on to graduate and professional programs nationwide. (Approximately 200 students are currently enrolled in the program.) Meyerhoff graduates are part of an unprecedented pipeline producing a stream of minority Ph.D.s, M.D.s, and M.D./Ph.D.s. Dr. Hrabowski will discuss the UMBC experience and his research on the Meyerhoff Program's effectiveness, including characteristics common to minority students who succeed in college, and institutional best practices for supporting minority students and closing the achievement gap.