Temple needs to maintain its strong tenure and peer review system . We should resist pressures to revise it merely to accommodate the wishes of industry or politicians. Temple s resources must be directed toward instruction and research, as well as to the staff who support the educational process through the admissions and registration process, advising, operation of libraries, computer networks, and laboratories. Temple s strategic plan must keep the instructional and research missions squarely in focus, rather than concentrating on secondary and tertiary activities, such as intercollegiate sports. A pleasant and safe campus is essential to serving students.
Cosmetic improvements are nice, but focus on the learning environment first.
C. Accountability Temple should have a wide discussion within its educational community on its mission and its goals. The public must be adequately informed about the importance of maintaining a high-quality public research university, about its role in opening access to higher education, and about the importance of the unique institutional arrangements of research universities. We need to be able to demonstrate our successes through clear and accurate measures of student success in their chosen fields of study and our contribution to the economic, scientific, and cultural life of the region. Faculty have key roles and responsibilities to perform and we must be ready, willing, and empowered to take them on. Faculty accountability requires a strong tenure system, including peer and student evaluation, rewards for success, incentives for improvement, and help in overcoming deficiencies.