Tenure track or shooting gallery?

Abstract

The shocking case last February, when a junior academic denied tenure by her faculty at the University of Alabama went on a murderous shooting rampage at a departmental meeting, can be dismissed as the act of a lunatic. However, it highlights the pressures confronted daily by young scientists seeking to establish their careers. Without dwelling on the details of the case, which are anyway a judicial matter, we should ask whether promotion to a permanent position is appropriate in today's universities, and if not, what should replace it? Tenure was originally created to enshrine the academic independence of professors. Having proven capable of scholarship and the ability to teach, as judged by peers, a professor would be appointed for life, or at least up to the age of statutory retirement. Once permanently tenured, professors are theoretically immune to political, commercial or any other sort of pressure influencing the subject matter of their research, the objectivity of any conclusions they might draw from it, or the manner in which they pass on knowledge to students and other associates. One can cite dozens of examples of authoritarian …