Punch line: The Olin College of Engineering attracts 140 applicants for every faculty position. And they can even be fired.
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Excerpted from WSJ: How to Succeed in Teaching Without Lifetime Tenure
The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts opened its doors 10 years ago, does not offer tenure to its faculty.
The president of Olin says that “There are more important things than permanent employment — like offering students a fulfilling education.”
Olin is showing what’s possible when a school sheds tenure, one of the most antiquated and counterproductive employment anomalies The policy protects laziness and incompetence — and rewards often obscure research rather than good teaching.
But by the 1990s, Olin’s trustees were frustrated with their inability to promote change — particularly in the field of engineering.
And so the Olin board of trustees decided to start over. The trustees laid out their idea for a college, which included creating a “culture of innovation” and thus deciding not to offer faculty tenure.
Students are also engaged in a constant process of evaluating their education: They are asked for extensive feedback about each course, and alumni are surveyed routinely.
Though Olin doesn’t offer lifetime employment, the school’s vision has been appealing enough to attract an average of 140 applicants for every faculty position. In all but three cases, Olin got its top choice to fill each teaching slot.
The passion of the Olin faculty and students is unmistakable. They’ve become “a community of zealots” — not exactly what you expect from a bunch of engineers.
But then giving up tenure seems to do some strange things to people.
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440004575548320163094444.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h
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