Month: November 2017

  • What’s academic freedom and why is it important?

    What’s academic freedom and why is it important?

    Overheard at Miami: “Academic freedom? Sometimes I think that’s just a way of protecting incompetent teachers.” — Professor X. Most of us at Miami agree with you on wanting to keep classroom standards high at Miami, Professor X! But when we say we value academic freedom, are we really somehow getting into the business of…

  • Why should contingency matter to tenure-line faculty?

    Why should contingency matter to tenure-line faculty?

    First, what’s contingency? As defined by the GAO* and AAUP, “contingent faculty” is an umbrella term encompassing all non-tenure-system faculty — that is, faculty who, to different degrees, experience precarity. Contingent faculty teach about 60% of the credit hours taught at Miami.  Contingency matters a LOT to tenure-line faculty. Why? Reduction in TT numbers leads to increased service…

  • Do NTT faculty at Miami have academic freedom?

    Do NTT faculty at Miami have academic freedom?

    Do NTT faculty at Miami have academic freedom? What about due process in case of non-renewal?* Fact: The answer to both questions is no. While Miami asserts both the value and existence of academic freedom at Miami, it provides due process protections only for tenured faculty — not for non-tenure-track faculty, now the majority of faculty, whose…