The purpose of tenure is supposedly to protect professors from being targeted over their work. But what if the professors aren’t really working, either not doing research or not teaching effectively? In Florida, Gov. DeSantis pushed for a post-tenure faculty review law which has been implemented for the first time this year. Some teachers have already been fired but many more have been put on notice.
Last year, Republican lawmakers in Florida passed a law requiring post-tenure reviews for professors at public universities. That wasn’t unique. But as with other policies, how administrators implement post-tenure review matters—and the board of the State University System of Florida determined that professors who receive the lowest review ranking, “unsatisfactory,” will “receive a notice of termination.” Now, the first round of post-tenure reviews has been completed. And…
