The Guilfordian

I share the disappointment over the fact that two faculty members still teaching at Guilford did not earn their terminal degrees before the deadline for tenure review. This is a sad situation. An article in The Guilfordian and a letter to the editor (October 26, 2007) are evidence of a need for a more informed discussion.

This is some of the missing information.

A terminal degree is the accepted professional standard for faculty members who teach at colleges or universities that grant baccalaureate degrees. By consensus, the Guilford faculty and its Board of Trustees adopted this standard.

The deadline for earning the terminal degree was established by consensus of the faculty and Board of Trustees in 1999-2000. The decision to create a deadline, which is well-published to the faculty, resulted discussion and deliberation after another popular faculty member was reviewed for and denied tenure because he had not earned the terminal degree.

Some excellent colleges and universities with a commitment to teaching will only hire faculty with a terminal degree. Others hire faculty with ABD - all but dissertation - status but allow them one or two years to complete the degree. Guilford hires ABD faculty and gives them five years. During those five years ABD faculty assume the normal faculty workload so they can be evaluated on equivalent footing with those who are hired with their degrees.

I hope this information will prove useful. I will meet with members of the community and discuss their concerns, and I hope all involved will understand that only the faculty and the Board of Trustees, not "the administration," make personnel policy changes pertaining to the standards and requirements for faculty review. The significance of the terminal degree can be a matter for discussion, but policy cannot, and should not, be changed simply because its enforcement for some individuals is unpopular.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Israel
Vice President and Academic Dean and Professor of History and Intercultural Studies

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