College Grants Tenure to Four

At the December 2013 Board of Trustees meeting, Professor of Philosophy Lorraine Besser-Jones, Professor of Economics Nicholas Muller, Professor of French William Poulin-Deltour, and Professor of Political Science Amy Yuen were promoted from assistant professors to the rank of associate professor without limit of tenure.

Tenure is granted to professors in tenure track positions after a series of forums and interviews by the faculty review committee. While candidates are evaluated primarily on performance reviews and research published while at the College, the process of granting tenure can remain flexible.

Poulin-Deltour, who has been a member of the College faculty since 2005, followed a non-traditional path to tenure after delaying the process after a year while he took a leave of absence due to throat cancer. The College then gave him an additional year before being reviewed for tenure.

“Because I had been here that extra year, I was starting to feel part of the furniture, as they say,” Poulin-Deltour said. “Having the tenure gives a feeling of rootedness. You’re obviously more willing to invest in the institution because the institution has taken this huge investment in you.”

Besser-Jones echoed Poulin-Deltour’s sentiments on the value of tenure.

“The importance of getting tenure is not only having job security, but also being included,” Besser-Jones said. “Being firmly part of the Middlebury community is why I’m so happy to have tenure. The community, the connection, between faculty and student and between faculty, is strong and cohesive, and I hadn’t found that at other places.”

Besser-Jones also noted that tenure is somewhat of a byproduct of her job, and not necessarily her primary motivation.

“If I were doing things for the sake of tenure I think I would be less successful,” Besser-Jones said. “I’m very motivated and receptive to making changes, and I am continually looking at how classes can go better. I’ve been successful from a research perspective largely because I’ve been willing to put myself out there, and I haven’t hesitated to put my work out there.”

Muller noted that the caliber of students and faculty — active people and active minds interested in talking about ideas both new and old — are what makes him excited to stay at the College.

With regards to research — tenured professors’ responsibility in addition to teaching — tenure can open doors.

“It’s supposed to protect things like academic freedom, so doing research that can be controversial, for example, but useful,” Yuen said. “But I think more else, especially in an institution like this, it also feels like you are accepted in an institution that values what you do.”

While camaraderie among faculty can be counted as a benefit of tenure, the practice and the job security it provides comes with the risk of abuse, according to Yuen.

“When people are granted tenure, most grow through the process and recognize their responsibilities, but some can get distracted and slow down in research,” Yuen said, noting that research and teaching responsibilities offer ample structure and can work to “keep faculty engaged with students, to keep them engaged with research and to keep them engaged with the institution.”