Maggie Smet |
Students have rallied around a biology professor recently denied tenure, addressing a letter to administrators – which garnered 280 signatures from fellow students and alumni – extolling Jeffrey Brown’s commitment to students and the UP community.
The student group delivered the letter to Fr. Bill Beauchamp, Provost Thomas Greene, and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael Andrews on Feb. 14.
A group of upperclassmen wrote and edited the letter and spread the word through a Facebook event, and sat at a table in Bauccio Commons to collect signatures.
The letter highlights Brown’s commitment to students and the University, and requests a response from the administration either through email or meeting.
The letter states, “While we understand there are strict criteria governing how and when tenure is granted, we feel compelled to express our deep concern that losing Brown as a member of the faculty comes at a significant cost to the UP community.”
Besides addressing the administration, students wanted Brown to know how many students appreciate him.
“I just want Dr. Brown to feel supported and know that he’s made a huge impact on campus, regardless of what happens,” senior Rachel Van Nes said.
Brown appreciates the efforts of all the students who organized and signed the letter.
“I was very disappointed and frustrated to not be awarded tenure. However, it has been very fantastic to have the support of my students and colleagues,” Brown said.
The administration cannot comment on personnel matters, and the details of individual tenure proceedings are not public.
“We’re trying to wait to form a reasonable response to these students,” Greene said.
For 2012 graduate Brieanna Brown, Brown’s situation was especially frustrating in light of her experience as his student, advisee and research assistant. While applying for the Goldwater scholarship as a junior, Brown helped her with the intensive application.
“I can’t even tell you how much time it took, I swear it must’ve been 10 to 15 hours a week for six to eight weeks with Dr. Brown in his office, email and over the phone,” Brieanna said. “The fact that he was willing to give me so much time for a scholarship application, that’s mind-blowing.”
Seniors Katie Bates and Tai White-Toney, who helped craft the petition and collect signatures, describe Brown as a witty, dedicated professor with a knack for explaining complicated concepts in biology.
“An 8:10 class on cell signaling would normally be terrible, but he’ll just be talking and a picture of a cat comes up and he’ll talk about what he saw on his run that morning, and it will totally relate back, which is what’s crazy about it,” White-Toney said. “They’re not just random stories. It’s a story about a cat that somehow explains an obscure thing.”
Van Nes highlighted Brown’s involvement in helping her with her Fulbright application, his patience with students and his support of UP’s cross country team.
“He’s so consistently there. Usually you just have your teammates who aren’t racing there. It’s always nice to see faculty there,” Van Nes said. “And he follows it in the newspaper too. He’s always like ‘Oh how did that race go?’”
After giving students support for years, Brown is now receiving extensive support from his students.
“It was very uplifting to see that students are very supportive and appreciate the interaction we have,” Brown said.
He will continue to teach at UP until his contract is up in another 15 months.
Tenure: No Easy Road
For academics, achieving tenure is the high point of their careers and comes with the assurance of a position until they retire. Once the University grants a professor tenure, it is difficult for them to be terminated. Tenure assures academic freedom, as well as financial security.
“One of the most important things to know is it’s a historic process and it’s been going on for a long time,” Greene said. “And as it continues, I would suggest that, you know, what is exactly involved in the process is clearer and clearer and it varies from institution to institution too.”
Once professors at UP are hired on a tenure track, the year of their tenure review is set. They meet periodically before the year of their tenure review with their department head to determine their progress in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service.
To receive tenure, a professor must achieve the requirements set out by the University and the professor’s specific department in these categories.
On the year of tenure review, candidates submit files of evidence, including their academic vita (similar to a resume), self, student and dean evaluations, course syllabi and other documents to the Committee on Rank and Tenure.
The Committee on Rank and Tenure reviews the materials and makes a recommendation to the provost. The provost also reviews the material and presents his recommendation to the president. The president ultimately has final say on tenure, and sends a letter regarding tenure on Jan. 31.
“Many eyes look at this decision, and they do it with great deliberation and great concern that the decision is well made,” Greene said. “That it’s something that everyone takes pretty seriously. Very seriously.”
The candidate for tenure may appeal the tenure decision if the Committee on Rank and Tenure recommends the candidate for tenure and the president denies it. If four members of a review committee vote in favor of the dissent, the president presents it to the Board of Regents Academic Affairs Committee for a final decision. Brown did not indicate if he was going to appeal.
Biology Professor Jeffrey Brown
Assistant professor of biology at UP since 2008
Teaches courses in cell biology and genetics, cellular and molecular biology and cancer biology
Ph.D. from University of Washington, Seattle
B.A. from Grinnell College
Published articles on “Cancer Research,” “Science,” and “Nature”
Involved in UP Honors Program as a mentor and biology department liaison, helping students with Fulbright applications
Member of Presidential Committee on Sustainability
Participated in the biology club chili cook-off
Tenure Quick Facts
-Once a professor has tenure, it’s difficult to fire them, ensuring academic freedom and financial security
-The Committee for Rank and Tenure, the provost and the president review the candidate
-Evaluated on the tenets of teaching, scholarship and service
-The materials reviewed for tenure include:
Student evaluations from the past three years
Self-evaluations
Letters from deans and colleagues
An academic vita (a comprehensive resume)
All published academic work.
