Students are widely discussing the decision to deny tenure to two popular professors.
Dr. Stella Erbes a professor of teacher education and political science professor Dr. Alexander Diener advanced to the final round of tenure review before the decisions would have reached the Board of Regents. According to administrators in all but two cases in the previous 25 years candidates reaching that stage have achieved tenure. That would have guaranteed the professors employment at Pepperdine except in the case of gross misconduct or drastic University changes.
Instead Erbes and Diener were the third and fourth Pepperdine candidates since 1985 to be denied tenure at this stage. Consistent with the policy at most universities the 2010 to 2011 school year will be their last at Pepperdine unless the decision is overturned.Both professors said they are appealing the decision. As a result they could not comment publicly.
However students had plenty to say on their professors’ behalf.
“Denying Dr. Diener Tenure is Denying Pepperdine’s Future!!! a group begun by graduate student Alexis Padis, had 116 members as of Wednesday night.
While backing away from the full extent of that title, senior Grant Poliquin said Diener will be impossible to replace.
His classes were some of the best in political science said Poliquin, who took Political and Cultural Geography of Central Asia with Diener in the fall of 2009. I feel that he was an extraordinary professor and an extraordinary academic and it’s a travesty that [administrators] would let someone like that go.”
Teacher education students Jaclyn Blomker and senior Abby Klingel formed a corresponding group “Keep Dr. Erbes at Pepperdine!!! which had 150 members Wednesday night.
Pepperdine needs to know we’re not OK with this decision said Blomker, an education student who graduated from Pepperdine in spring of 2009 with a Public Relations degree. We’ve all had bad teachers or if not bad then the expectations are unclear or you’re not sure what you’re learning. [Erbes] is fantastic at modeling the teaching process and the [tenure] process is not accurate if over the five- or ten-year process they are not able to find out that she was immensely qualified.”
President Andrew K. Benton said Friday that he had replied to 20 e-mails protesting the fact that either Erbes or Diener did not receive tenure and he expected to receive more.”I celebrate that [student passion] Benton said. I’m sorry people are disappointed and faculty are disappointed. … But even though people may disagree with a decision I hope they’ll see that the process is very carefully structured. It’s a fair process that also provides an opportunity for appeal.”
For faculty designated as tenure-track when they are hired Benton said the tenure process begins their first day at Pepperdine.
“The president and provost insist on interviewing every [candidate]… because we know that one day we’ll be their advocate before the Board [of Regents] he said.
Tenure-track professors typically receive the status in their sixth year, after a series of reviews. Both Erbes and Diener became tenure-track professors in 2004.
As is typical, they received pre-tenure reviews in their third year. This evaluation of teaching effectiveness, scholarly activity, service and support for Christian values— the same areas judged in the final tenure decision— found Erbes and Diener eligible to apply for tenure.
So did reviews this year by at least two of the following three bodies: the Seaver tenure committee, Dean Rick Marrs and the University Tenure Committee. The University Tenure Policy allows a candidate to move forward if only one of those bodies votes to deny tenure, and Tippens declined to specify which bodies approved the candidates in these cases.
The next stage is a review by Tippens and Benton. They decided to withhold Erbes’ and Diener’s tenure applications from the Board of Regents, which makes the final determination.
Administrators declined to explain the reasons behind those decisions, citing a longstanding and common policy of not commenting on personnel matters.I don’t like the secrecy but I also don’t want to breach the privacy that belongs to the faculty member Benton said.
He did clarify, however, that the decision was based only on information within the candidates’ files. Budgetary considerations played no role, and no University policy has changed.
Benton said it is an unfortunate coincidence” that this year two professors were denied tenure at the penultimate administrative level when he can remember only two other unsuccessful candidates in the past 25 years who made it that far.
Dr. Steven Lemley who was provost from 1993 to 2000 said he thought Benton’s estimate was correct.
The rarity stems from the many points along the way where an application could be stopped.
“There are many steps involved and each of those has the potential for either ending the quest for tenure or passing the person to the next level Lemley wrote in an e-mail. That’s why the community is surprised when a tenure candidate is turned back near the end of the process when there have been approvals at so many points along the way.”
The decisions affect more than classes.
Diener’s greatest contribution to Pepperdine was creating and advising its first student academic journal Global Tides according to senior Brian Jack.
“I really hope that someone in that appeal process looks to Global Tides and all that has become said Jack, who is associate editor of the yearly journal of student-submitted and student-reviewed articles. For students who want to become published which is so important that’s a great resource.”
Efforts to find editors and an adviser for next year’s issue have been unsuccessful so far Jack said.
An international management and political science double major Jack also took Diener’s freshman seminar and used him as the recommender for his Fulbright application to Macau.
“I’m a finalist for that [Fulbright] so I guess I can attribute a lot of that to him Jack said.Diener was also slated to be the faculty adviser for the 2010 to 2011 year in London. The program’s incoming resident advisor, freshman Aaron English, said he found out last week that Dr. James White and his family will take Diener’s place.
Honestly it hasn’t affected me too much simply because I haven’t gotten to know Dr. Diener yet English said. It was a little disruptive because he appeared to be such a good man and a very good fit for the job.”
White is a chemistry professor which will change some of London’s course offerings but English said that worked out to his advantage because one of White’s science courses will also count for Religion credit.
Erbes has also reached students far beyond the teacher education program which Blomker pointed out has far fewer students than the Facebook group fighting for Erbes’ tenure.
One of those converts is senior Greg Lee a telecommunications major who took Erbes’ Educational Psychology class as part of his required outside concentration.
“Honestly in all of my life [Erbes] is one of the best teachers I’ve ever met in my life because she’s so concerned with the whole student rather than just academia Lee said. She really want us to grow and affect change.”
Still one of Lee’s mentors Erbes nearly convinced him to become a teacher Lee said.
Her situation also makes him grateful for his current position as SGA president.
“I feel blessed because the position I’m in allows me to have the ear of some of administration and so I’ve met with some of them to voice my concern as well as to voice the concerns of other students Lee said. I have valued everything I’ve gotten to do and provide for the students [but] this would be a huge loss for me— if I could not affect change in this realm… I would count it as a huge loss.”
Klingel the education student and co
-creator of “Keep Dr. Erbes at Pepperdine!!! said Pepperdine had direct knowledge of the quality of Erbes’ research— they used it.Distinguished Professor Stephen Davis tapped Erbes to officially assess his summer research program, because an assessment was required for national funding.
Klingel helped Erbes conduct surveys and other measures, eventually determining that Davis’ program was effective.
My impression of [Erbes] just got better and better because she was so easy to get in touch with Klingel said. She prepared me more than enough for every step of our research. … She’s so well researched she’s so well-spoken she makes the class so relatable that you have to admire her.”
Erbes has written works used by schools including Oaks Christian and Calvalry Christian prompting educators there to lend their support to Erbes according to Blomker.
Diener has written or co-written four books and numerous journal articles.
Blomker and others say the tenure process should include more student involvement because students are best equipped to judge classroom performance.
Tippens agreed: “Students stand at the heart of the educational enterprise at Pepperdine with teaching/student learning serving at the primary criterion for tenure he wrote in an e-mail. Student course evaluations are meticulously reviewed as a part of the review process. Student experiences with faculty are considered in tenure reviews. The University Tenure Policy does not allow for a separate student committee of evaluation however.”
The Hearing Committee will determine how to use supplementary materials such as student e-mails to administrators.
The committee whose members Tippens said he is not currently authorized to name will determine whether the tenure process was materially affected by a failure to follow applicable procedures according to the University’s Tenure Policy Statement. It will not re-try the merits of the two candidates.