Diving Overview:
- Faculty members in the Florida State University System will be required to undergo a job performance evaluation every five years according to the new policy its board of directors approved it on Wednesday.
- The new rules impose what’s known as a post-tenure review, which will evaluate tenured teachers based on their “level of achievement and productivity.” Tenure teachers who were found to be unsatisfactory in their job performance could be fired immediately.
- The board’s move drew criticism from faculty critics who said it was essentially doing away with tenure, traditionally a lifetime appointment that they say is needed to protect their scholarship — even if unpopular — from political influence.
Diving Statistics:
Across the U.S., lawmakers—mostly Republican— they took possession on the fly, claiming that it allows underperforming faculty to persist in their jobs without fear of reprisal. States like Texas and North Dakota have proposed bills that would greatly limit possession.
Also the new tenure policy of the Florida system follows from state legislation last year it enacted a green post-tenure review.
Under the new policy, post-tenure teachers will be assigned one of four ratings: Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, Does Not Meet Expectations or Unsatisfactory.
Instructors who receive a “fails to meet expectations” designation will be placed on a performance plan and then dismissed if they do not improve. Those with an “unsatisfactory” rating would be terminated immediately.
Florida System universities also will not be allowed to enter into collective bargaining agreements that conflict with the policy.
The United Faculty of Florida, the union representing a significant contingent of teachers in the state system, continued to fight the policy leading up to its approval Wednesday.
Andrew Gothard, UFF President, he said in a statement before the board’s vote that the revised rules would limit the system’s ability to attract faculty and make it less competitive with colleges from other states.
“Tenure and academic freedom are vital to a thriving university system in which the public good and the advancement of human knowledge take precedence over political convenience,” Gothard said.
