oohrah wrote:There are also conservative professors who enjoy tenure. You can't have it both ways. For example, there is serious research studying the statistical probabilities of intelligent design. I doubt many east coast universities would tolerate that.
Certainly there always a few bad apples in any system, but tenure exists to protect the academic freedom of the individual, inspire new uncharted research, and allows the researcher to obtain external funding (which the university takes a cut) that it might not get otherwise. There are always provisions to fire someone with tenure, but expressing an opinion is not one of them.
I reccognize that we are disagreeing with her opnion, but not denying her right to say it. But blaming it on the tenure system is not relevant. Major universities do not exist just to teach undergraduates, and they rely on the tenure system to attract and keep quality people. Professors "earn" tenure through a long process of performance and evaluation, so it is not just "given". There are universities that only teach undergradutes and do not grant tenure at all. They are successful in what they do as well, but they have different goals.
Like I said, it is not a perfect system, but it has its place. You can always vote with your feet, or your money.
I'm want to find many tenured professors who are openly Conservative. I would submit that the tenure system actually accomplishes the opposite - it suppresses academic freedom because it institutionalizes the Liberal ideology. Of all of the major institutions where tenure is used, I ask for six examples where the majority of those who are tenured are Conservative. The Hillsdale Colleges are far and few between.
There is a reason for this. Conservative principles are deemed to be passe among the "enlightened". Like the career politicians (and the level of politics in most large educational institutions is mind boggling) the career academics use their power to stifle opposing thought.
For me, the argument for tenure is very much like the Chicago approach to gun control. It starts with a universally accepted idea - that there is too much gun violence. Then it twists the "solution" into a set of rules and actions the withdraw individual freedoms and promote both an ideology and continued governance by those who hold it.
I have a good friend who received his doctorate. He is extremely talented. Early in his career, he learned that he had to hide his Conservative political feelings in order to be even considered for a position on a university staff. He is now the head of department. If they found out that he is a Conservative, they would fire him tomorrow. That is NOT academic freedom.
Tenure ranks right down there with federal judges being appointed for life.
