Amended Tenure Policy Bill Advances to North Dakota Senate

The Old Main building on the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton.  (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota House passed a bill that requires the development of tenure policy by the North Dakota University System – something the system has already been working on.

House Bill 1437, sponsored by Rep. Mike Motschenbacher, R-Bismarck, passed easily with an 85-4 vote after it was amended to remove a provision eliminating tenure at the state’s two-year public colleges.

The amended bill requires the establishment of a tenure policy by July 1, 2026, to develop a policy including annual evaluations for all faculty and for post-tenure review. Reviews of newly tenured faculty members must happen within the first three years of being awarded tenure.  After that, post-tenure review must happen at least every five years.

University System Vice Chancellor Lisa Johnson told the North Dakota Monitor that the bill now mostly reiterates work already done by the State Board of Higher Education.