TENURE

WHEREAS, academic tenure is a historic right of faculty in higher education and guarantees academic freedom and the open and honest participation of faculty in the governance of their institutions; and

WHEREAS, governing boards and state legislatures throughout the nation are advancing proposals to limit the awarding of tenure to faculty in higher education; and

WHEREAS, these schemes take a variety of different shapes and forms, including: restricting tenure to a limited few by creating more temporary positions; reviving plans for cyclical or multiyear contracts, and some systems allowing the removal of faculty from tenure-track positions and placing them in temporary positions:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers continue its efforts to protect the right of all faculty to achieve and maintain tenure; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers analyze the recent attacks on the tenure process and publish a compendium of these proposals for higher education locals to study.