Board gives colleges March deadline for tenure revised plan

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) – The State Board of Higher Education on Thursday adopted a report on reviews of tenured faculty and set a March deadline for colleges to submit a plan for changes to their review process.

“With the two-year institutions, other than Lake Region State College, I think that the process needed to be significantly improved,” board member Casey Ryan said in presenting the report.

He said the Lake Region, led by President Doug Darling in Devils Lake, was essentially the only two-year campus doing post-tenure review.

But he said all 11 colleges could share information and find ways to improve the tenure review process. Campus plans are to be submitted to the board’s Research and Governance Committee before it meets in March.

“They don’t have to all be the same,” Ryan said. “We’re not looking for one boilerplate.”

He added that the two research universities, the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University, are doing a good job of reviewing tenured faculty.

“I think there are instances where they may be asked or could definitely help some of the smaller campuses,” Ryan said.

Jeffry Volk was the only board member to vote against approving the report, saying he would like to see policy changes addressed in the report.

“I’m not ready to approve this until I can see the bigger picture,” he said.

Board member Kevin Black said he had several specific changes in mind for post-tenure review policy.

The motion to approve the report came with the directive to fast-track policy changes related to tenure, with suggestions to be made to Vice Chancellor Lisa Johnson and discussed at the board’s next meeting on Dec. 5.

Tenure has been a much-discussed topic by the board this year, with Black questioning the need for tenure at two-year colleges, where technical education is more of a focus.

The board approved continuing tenure at two-year colleges in April.

Ryan said he expects the plans to address which faculty on a two-year campus need tenure.

He added that tenure is not needed to offer a faculty member a multi-year contract.

Dickinson State University

In an update on the search for the next president of Dickinson State University, board member Danita Bye said a search committee would be formed the week of Nov. 4. Acting President Ty Orton will co-chair the committee with Bye.

She said the plan is to bring in candidates to the March 26 meeting of the board, which will be held in Dickinson.

Orton, executive director of the Dickinson State University Heritage Foundation, was named acting president after Stephen Easton resigned in July.

In September, the board named four finalists for interim president but ultimately chose not to fill the role.

The board on Thursday voted to extend Orton as acting president at least until the next board meeting in December.