Florida Southern College abolished its tenure system nearly 40 years ago and replaced it with annual contracts for professors. But a new president, Anne B. Kerr, and a new strategic plan cleared the way for the system’s reinstatement this spring. Eight professors at the private institution in Lakeland, Fla., were granted tenure this month. One of them was Sara Fletcher Harding, a professor of religion hired 13 years ago who is chair of her department.
Ms. Harding says she expects that the tenure system, which will be phased in over the next five years, will help the college attract new professors and give existing faculty members who choose to apply for the distinction another way to be recognized for their work. On Thursday she discussed with The Chronicle the road to tenure reinstatement, how recruiting might change, and her own bid for tenure.
Q. How much of a role did the faculty play in getting tenure restored?
A. We had been talking about this for the last four years or so. After our new president arrived [in 2004], there was a new strategic plan and lots of conversation about the future of the institution. So faculty really started exploring it then because she was open to it. A faculty committee researched and drafted a tenure document, and it was voted on by the faculty, then submitted to the administration, and then went on to the board.
Q. Was the process filled with tension?
A. No. It wasn’t negative at all. Certainly we had to make a case for it on all fronts—administrators, the board. And we had to make a case for it to our peers. Some of them thought, “Well, we’re happy with the way things are.” We looked at peer and aspirant institutions and how it would benefit the institution and the faculty. We saw it as a win for the faculty in that we’re doing all this great work and have a high commitment to the institution, and this is really the culmination of all that work. For the institution, it’s a win because it shows a commitment to the faculty.
Q. How will recruiting new faculty members be different for you now that tenure-track jobs are a possibility?
A. Faculty tend to come to Florida Southern and stay. I haven’t been on a hiring committee yet. But I’m excited because Florida Southern is kind of this quintessential liberal-arts college with a focus on undergraduate learning, and you have all these teacher-scholars who are on the faculty. Faculty who want to be somewhere with that profile will love it here. And now that tenure has been made an option, that’s going to encourage even more applications. For newly minted Ph.D.'s, this shows that we’re looking to attract the best faculty.
Q. When you applied to Florida Southern, how much did you care about the lack of tenure for professors?
A. I came here right after getting my Ph.D. at Marquette. When I did my job search, I was looking for a particular type of institution. I’m in religion, and I wanted an undergraduate United Methodist institution that had a very strong commitment to their students and to teaching. So it had everything I was looking for. Not having tenure wasn’t a red flag for me, but it raised some questions. It was more, “OK, I’m going to need information about this.” But once I arrived on campus, it clearly was such a great fit for me. That’s what was most important.
Q. What was it like to apply for tenure after being on the job for so long?
A. I had gone up for promotion to full professor last spring and was promoted. So I knew I was doing a good job. But my dossier needed to be reformatted, and extra material needed to be added. We submitted full dossiers—they were digital dossiers—and all the standard material was there. It’s nerve-racking, and you’re anxious until you get that call with the good news.
Q. How much paper did that amount to?
A. I had four two-inch binders. That’s 13 years of work.
Q. Do you think having tenured or tenure-track faculty at Florida Southern will trigger a culture change at the institution?
A. I don’t see a jolt to the system. We’re very much teacher-scholars. We’re about engaged learning and focusing on the students, and that will be the No. 1 criterion [for those on the tenure track]. Certainly service to the institution and scholarship are very important, but we’re not a research institution. The college will keep its identity, and this will just strengthen it.