University of Virginia Library

Virginia College Professors
Fear Elimination Of Tenure

By MICHEL FAISON

Condemning the Virginia
State Board of Community
Colleges secretly made
decision to abolish the tenure
system for community college
professors, the Virginia
Conference of the American
Association of University
Professors adopted a resolution
stating that the "arbitrary
abrogation of tenure" by the
board is "an ominous precedent
and potential threat to the
continuance of tenure
elsewhere."

The group Saturday
expressed fear that the
community colleges' tenure
abrogation will lead to its
elimination on the four-year
level.

It was cited that Frederick
Junior College in Maryland
recently abolished its tenure
system and the Maryland
Legislature is currently
"studying" the entire college
tenure system in the state as a
result.

History Prof. William H.
arbaugh said he "strongly
disapproves" of the elimination
of tenure on the community
college level. "I think there is
no question but that it will
enable the community college
administrators who are largely
high school oriented to violate
academic freedom and
otherwise remove teachers
whose views do not conform to
the common consensus of the
moment."

He said he felt the reason
for the step is the "failure of
the teaching profession in
many cases to maintain high
standards following their
granting of tenure." Mr.
Harbaugh said the teaching
profession's record of
self-policing is "probably worse
even than that of the medical
and legal professions."

Mr. Harbaugh added that
tenure, especially in the social
sciences and humanities
"protects the strong as much as
it protects the weak." He said
that tenure enables men and
women to challenge majority
views without the threat of job
loss.

This process is "absolutely
fundamental to creativity in a
changing world and the
democratic process," he said.