They also engaged in espionage for Soviet intelligence. Columbia University awarded Bancroft Prizes in American history last week to John L. Brooke and John Dittmer, of Tufts and Depauw Universities, respectively. Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that documents related to tenure and promotion decisions at the Ohio State University were public records. In a seven-page special report based on these documents and dozens of interviews, The Chronicle provides a rare glimpse of this important, controversial, but usually secret feature of the academic world. Some academics say that the publication of tenure-related documents will disrupt the process and make it unreliable.
Tenure often involves questions of timing.
Some talented scholars just don't reach their potential in time. At branch campuses, where professors often have to wear several hats, teaching skills are considered more important in tenure decisions. He maintains a spartan life style and keeps his distance from the campus, he says, in order to retain his edge. A federal appeals court last week reversed an earlier decision, clearing the way for the City University of New York to remove Leonard Jeffries, Jr., as chairman of the black-studies department at City College. Mr. Jeffries has been accused of anti-Semitic and racist remarks.