Tutors and Tenure

As the Allston Burr Senior Tutors' appointments begin to expire, the University must quickly solve a problem it temporarily shelved three years ago. Dean Bender's 1951 report, which started the decentralization of the dean's Office and creation of the Burr tutorship, recommended that the Senior Tutors be permanent members of the faculty, ranking, in other words, at least as associate professors. In hastening to implement the program in 1952, however, the administration filled the posts with non-tenure men. While these tutors have filled their posts excellently, their administrations have pointed out more problems in the proposed system than earlier anticipated and have caused many high-level officials in the University to cast around for an alternative to Dean bender's suggestion. Such efforts are unfortunate, since the posts can be made attractive to men of permanent rank, who should fill them.

After the Burr program had been in effect only four months, in the spring of 1953, a poll of the new Senior tutors found they all were concerned by the little time left for academic work. This situation has continued, and some tutors today face the prospect of losing the chance for advancement in their departments because of time they have lost in administrative work.

Obviously, then, if Burr Tutorships are to continue on a high level, such a situation can not go on. If permanent men do no immediately fill the posts, they will never do so, because with the passing of time permanent faculty members will come to regard the tutorships as posts for nontenure men. Non-permanent members of the faculty, on the other hand, would also refuse to accept them for fear of academic suicide.

Forced to act, the University has several alternatives. It might compromise the original plan, leaving the posts open to non-permanent men, and pressure the departments to accord recognition for the time spent in the Tutorships. The posts could be awarded to non-tenure men on the basis of promise and be regarded as an honor and expression of confidence of the part of the Department and the University. Nonetheless, non-permanent members of the faculty, eager to move up the academic ladder, often would find their time better spent in intensive academic work, than in the heavy administrative tasks.

Difficulty as it is to find men of permanent rank to accept the posts at first, the University should solve its problem by retaining the original plan. Men on tenure-not under the pressures of theses and examinations-would find it considerably easier to handle the post and do academic work too. In time, with active University support, the senior Tutorship could become, as planned, a highly respected position which would appeal to faculty members of professorial rank who are interested in undergraduate education.

Despite a few difficulties natural in a new program, Dean Bender's original recommendations are well-advised. When the Burr appointments expire they should be filled by permanent faculty men.