Tenured faculty a necessity for University Studies

We hope that Portland State’s choice to end the contracts of at least eight fixed-term faculty members in the University Studies program–essentially eliminating their jobs–was agonizing. Organizing a staffing overhaul, such as the one University Studies will see in the coming years, should be a strenuous and thoughtful process.

In the end, however, it is clear that it was necessary.

University Studies plans to bring 25 new tenure positions to the program. Eight faculty members who currently teach in University Studies will be given tenure, while people outside the university will fill the remaining 17 spots. But it will come at the cost of some current faculty members. The idea behind the decision is that these newly tenured faculty will, in part, revitalize PSU’s flagship program.

In many ways, the program has suffered in recent years. University Studies continues to take heat from students who feel they don’t gain enough from its classes. Its administration has seen change: The current director has been in his position for less than two years, while the director of the mentor program departed last month-whether she was directly fired by the administration still remains unclear.

The greatest weight that presses against University Studies is the responsibility of preparing almost every PSU student for their future studies in departments throughout campus. As such, students often see the program as a tedious diversion that delays them from studying their interests and passions.

These new tenure spots are a much-needed spark that will instill new life in the program. But for some of these fixed-term faculty members who will lose their jobs, Portland State has comprised their entire teaching career. Now, they must fight against one another to secure one of the few in-house tenure seats the university plans to dole out so they don’t have to leave.

The University Studies administrators, primarily Sukhwant Jhaj and Shawn Smallman, have made it clear that they believe these cuts are necessary for progress in the program. And while it is unfortunate for the fixed-term faculty who must leave the university, bringing in these new lines of tenure will be immensely valuable.

In its current state, University Studies has experienced faculty who work to teach and enlighten students using their wide breadth of experience and knowledge. But as the program ambles through its 14th year, it is obvious that University Studies must change the kind of faculty in the program and the way they teach.

It may be because they aren’t paid enough. It may be because they’ve been teaching at PSU for too long. Realistically, however, so many aspects of University Studies do not fit with the breed of students who make up Portland State.

As students, it is encouraging to see people such as Jhaj, the director of University Studies, work to enact this change. It means that the administration realizes that University Studies has been stagnant and underappreciated by students.

This change is not a knock against the professors who will lose their jobs. It does not necessarily mean they are underperforming, nor does it mean they don’t teach adequately.

Instead, it’s likely these faculty will lose their jobs because of some of the basic tenets of change: that no true progress can be made without some imposition; that difficult decisions must often be made by few, after thorough and hard-wrought discussion; and that there is not a place for every qualified candidate.

The University Studies program needs revitalization. And although it comes at the cost of some qualified instructors, this change will prompt that revival.