For the classroom to become the center of intellectual life, the transmitter of knowledge and the moderator of the intellectual discussion should be knowledgeable on the subject matter, communicate effectively, and respond to student concerns and interests. Simply put, to establish a vital intellectual environment at Penn, the University must be committed to excellence in teaching as well as research.
Students attend class to be challenged by new concepts.
If a lecture is confusing, disorganized, or inaccurate, the educational process will stagnate, polluting the intellectual environment. Teaching in the Tenure Process An effective way to ensure excellence in teaching at the University is to grant tenure to professors with superior teaching skills. We applaud the University's recent steps to increase the role of teaching in the tenure process. However, we conclude that this message has not been effectively communicated to the entire University community. Schools and departments must increase efforts to bring teaching and research closer to parity in the tenure process.