The death of tenure in Georgia will come next week during meeting of the @BORUSG Board of Regents. Let me walk thru the obfuscation on the issue by the university system leaders. They and the Regents on dead set on ruining the reputation of the state. #highered 1/x
The USG and BOR initially released a revision to due process for its Sept. 9 meeting that called for tenured professors to be fired for "reasons other than cause," wiping away tenure protections in one sentence. 2/x usg.edu/regents/assets… 
The USG quickly revised this sentence by removing the causeless clause. They claimed it was "bad" and "unclear" writing. But they also claimed we as faculty were "misconstruing" the text and that the "intent" of these revisions was not to change tenure. 3/x
The changes center on a policy known as "post tenure review." An admin heavy committee "led" by USG official studied that policy for a year and its recs were listed in policy revisions almost word for word. But its key change is where tenure died. 4/x
Current PTR policy, revised in 2020: "If, after three years, the faculty member has not been successful with remedying the identified deficiencies, he or she may be subject to dismissal for cause (regular, independent dismissal processes will apply)." 5/x usg.edu/academic_affai…
Revision to PTR offered to BOR: "Remedial actions taken as part of the post-tenure review process shall not be governed by these policies on Grounds for Removal and Procedures for Dismissal, but rather shall be governed by the Board Policy on Post-Tenure Review." 6/x
In short, tenure due process dies because the actions a dean and department chair can take after a bad PTR and failed improvement (suspension, pay cut, tenure loss, and/or firing) only have to come after they "consult" "appropriate faculty" before making rec to president. 7/x
In current policy, to fire a professor, school holds faculty-led hearing with "not fewer than three or more than five impartial faculty members" named by faculty senate. Prof can cross-examine witnesses. The committee makes rec to president. 8/x usg.edu/policymanual/s…
The obfuscation from the @BORUSG came in a second revision about the "consultation" by the dean/chair about discipline after bad PTR and failed improvement: "the appropriate committee of faculty colleagues." One new word, left undefined. 9/x
The depth of details in current policy about the faculty committee hearing concerning a fire-able cause stands in stark contrast to this measly revision. The USG thinks this change assuages faculty. It does not. Mainly because we know... 10/x
... what the @BORUSG has said about these changes: "These alterations, while not changing the intended meaning, go a long way to signal that we have listened to the feedback that we are being given and have incorporated that feedback in substantive ways.” 11/x
Revisions don't change intent (which is to end tenure), but they are "substantive?" Let us consult the dictionary: "having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, meaningful, or considerable." The only claim with a firm basis in reality: this is tenure in name only. 12/x
The Board of Regents overseeing the university system of Georgia should vote down these proposals. Tenure and its sister #academicfreedom are bedrock principles in #highered. Georgia would ruin its reputation by ending tenure. There is no return from jumping off this cliff. /end
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