Thrasher, chairman of Scott’s reelection campaign, is a
state senator who championed the governor’s bill to get rid of tenure in the
state’s K-12 schools. Jennifer Proffitt, president of the FSU chapter of the
United Faculty of Florida, explained why that is problem.
“Proffitt said faculty are concerned about Thrasher’s lack
of experience within higher education administration and might be wary of him
since he pushed for a state bill to eliminate tenure for new public school
teachers in favor of a merit-based system,” the Florida Times-Union reported.
Those who want to eliminate tenure in higher education often
claim that it isn’t “merit-based.” But the website of FSU’s own provost takes
that point to task.
“The process of earning tenure generally lasts six years, during which the candidate's teaching, research, and service are evaluated by faculty peers. Annual evaluations are required and should be taken very seriously,” says a statement on the FSU provost’s page. The statement also makes it clear that “tenure is not a guarantee of lifetime employment, and nowhere is there any statement to that effect anywhere in academe including at The Florida State University.”
But those types of facts haven’t stopped tenure from coming under attack from
the Scott administration. University of Florida President Bernie Machen bravely went toe-to-toe
with Scott in 2011 when the governor began talking about the possibility of
overhauling tenure. He told
the Alachua County legislative delegation that UF “will quickly become a
regional university at best” if it loses the ability to offer tenure to its
faculty.
“Every one of the top 100 universities in this country has
tenure,” Machen said. “If you want us to be a national university and compete
in that marketplace, don't tie my hands behind my back.”
UF’s big GOP political donors quickly set Scott straight. He
patched up his relationship by promising to help UF achieve a top ten national
magazine ranking and giving his blessing for a UF alumnus to become the new SUS
chancellor.
But while tenure is finally safe at UF, it is still in
danger throughout the rest of the SUS. Scott continuously points to the
tenure-less Florida Polytechnic University, one of the proudest pet projects of
his governorship, as an example for others to follow.
Back during the recent FAMU presidential search, Rattlers had to
fight off lobbying efforts to promote then-Florida Polytechnic Chief Operating
Officer Ava Parker’s name for consideration. She implemented the plan to
establish a “non-tenure faculty model” at the Lakeland school.
The next tenure threat came from the presidential bid of
John E. Maupin, Jr., who was widely believed to be on the inside track to Lee
Hall due to the dirty dealing on the FAMU Board of Trustees. An investigating
committee of the American Association of University Professors accused
Maupin of effectively eliminating the tenure system at Meharry Medical College
during his presidency at that school. He finally withdrew his application after
FAMU supporters across the nation spoke out against his rotten treatment of
faculty.
So despite all the outside political pressure and
under-the-table shadiness in the FAMU presidential search process, the real Rattlers succeeded in
pushing the Board of Trustees to hire a candidate with a solid record of
supporting tenure.
What happened at FAMU and UF is proof that it is possible to
successfully defend state universities from the ongoing attacks against tenure,
something that all serious research schools have. FSU’s supporters shouldn’t
let Rick Scott and his Florida Polytechnic “non-tenure faculty model” pick up
another win.