Stories focused on the fight over the elimination of tenure in Kentucky are coming in on a daily basis.  For an overview of the whole situation, check out this story at Kentucky public radio station WEKU in which Rep. Rick Nelson, (D-Middlesboro) echoes the concerns of many faculty about who is being listened to in this decision making process.

"If they would listen to the people in the battlefields and not the people in the officers' clubs, I think they that would have a better understanding and realize how important job security is to getting good quality people that have a commitment to the community college system," said Nelson.

According to the report, Nelson also stated that "if the regents don't reverse the no-tenure policy, he will offer legislation next year to repeal it."

If a bill comes before the Kentucky legislature, someone might want to line up retired Transylvania University professor Cara Richards who recently offered this thoughtful commentary on the whole situation and the concept of tenure over at WKYU.

On Friday, April 17, faculty across the Kentucky Community and Technical College System registered their lack of confidence in the KCTCS Board of Regents and system president Michael McCall.  Faculty at four community and technical colleges voted "no confidence" in the board and McCall and condemned the board's March 13 decision to eliminate tenure. And more votes appear to be coming on other campuses.

"The faculty and staff are passionate in their belief that, for the sake of our students, the academic integrity and educational quality of the community and technical colleges must not be diminished." stated David Cooper, president of the Community College Faculty Staff Alliance / AFT. "Most believe that the vote by the board to eliminate tenure has done just that."  

Faculty members at five of the 16 community and technical colleges have now stated their position with clear majorities voting no confidence in the board and McCall or condemning their actions.

The Votes

"These votes send a clear message that faculty want our voices heard and have deep concerns about the lack of respect and commitment to shared governance that the board and President McCall have exhibited throughout this whole process" commented Connie Sanders, president of the Technical Faculty/Staff Alliance/AFT.   However, in an interview with Kentucky Public Radio, Board of...

Kentucky faculty are making it clear that they won't go softly into the untenured night. After the Board of Regents for the community and technical colleges voted summarily to eliminate tenure for new hires in the statewide system, the KY Community College Faculty/Staff Alliance/AFT (FSA) Executive Council unanimously passed a resolution that expressed no confidence in the judgment of the KCTCS Board of Regents. The FSA Council further censured "the KCTCS Board of Regents for the poor managerial practices it has exhibited and for diminishing the academic integrity and credibility of the KCTCS".

The union also plans to go the legislature and seek a bill that will override the board.  Before the BOR voted, members of the legislature passed a resolution urging the board to retain tenure at the colleges.

Earlier this month, the faculty at Southeast Kentucky Community College passed a vote of "no confidence" in the President and Board of Regents.

Sadly, on Friday, March 13, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents followed through on its December proposal to end tenure at the 14 two-year colleges in the system. Beginning July 1, 2009, all new faculty will be offered either one- to four-year contracts or at-will employee status. The 168 faculty members currently eligible for tenure will be grandfathered in under the old policy.

As the board cast its 10-4 vote on Friday, March 13, 60 faculty sat silently holding small signs that read “Support Tenure”.

The fight to stop the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Trustees from abolishing tenure at its next meeting took a welcome turn March 5. The Kentucky House passed House Resolution 187, which “urges the KCTCS Board of Regents to reconsider any proposed actions which would eliminate tenure or continuing status for new faculty.” The Legislature is forwarding the resolution to each individual member of the BOR.

As we reported earlier, the board, citing financial concerns and a need for “flexibility,” took up a proposal in December to eliminate tenure at the 16 colleges across the state. The plan, which is to come to a final vote on Friday, March 13, would take effect July 1, 2009. At that time, all new faculty would be offered either one- to four-year contracts or at-will employee status. The 168 faculty members currently eligible for tenure will be grandfathered in under the old policy. (You can also read about this bad idea in the current issue of AFT On Campus.)