On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:50:01 -0800, Franklin Stahl wrote:

Dear Senators,

In the interest of expediting discussion of motions 12A and B at the 13 January meeting, here is a brief description of the need for the Motions.

Our University enjoys a generally good procedure for deciding matters of promotion and tenure. Committees at Department and College levels collect and evaluate documentation of each Candidate's record of research, teaching, and service, and forward recommendations to the Chair or the Dean, respectively. These materials, along with the recommendations of the Chair and Dean are forwarded to the FPC, whose job is to evaluate the materials and make recommendations to the Provost. The Provost reaches decisions based on his/her evaluation of the documents and the recommendations of the FPC, and then composes decision letters for delivery to the Candidates. For decades, until this past year, these letters were shared with the FPC Chair. This sharing provided assurance that the Provost was making decisions in the best interests of the University's academic program. Decisions that compromise those interests could arise under several conditions. For instance, a Provost could grant tenure on the grounds that a candidate fills certain University needs that are unrelated to the academic program. Or a Provost could deny tenure on the grounds that the candidate, although bright and productive, might project an unfavorable image to the public. Or simple budgetary problems could lead a Provost to cut the work force by denying tenure. The sharing of letters with the FPC Chair provides the historically sanctified route for protecting the University from such problematic actions. It also recognizes the hard work and sacrifice made by members of the FPC, one of the most demanding of the University Committees.

Respectfully, Frank

Franklin W. Stahl
Molecular Biology
1229 Univ. of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1229
TEL: 541-346-6096
FAX: 541-346-5891
PLEASE REPLY TO fstahl@uoregon.edu