Law Commons^™

Personality As A Criterion For Faculty Tenure: The Enemy It Is Us, Perry A. Zirkel

Cleveland State Law Review

Faculty tenure has been the subject of continuing concern and controversy in American higher education. Problems in this area, including the lack of definitive standards for evaluating tenure candidates, have been highlighted by the recent downturn in the economy and the resultant decline in both enrollment and employment in colleges and universities. This trend is actively demonstrated by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Mayberry v. Dees. This Article advocates and proposes a more exacting judicial review of faculty tenure cases that are based on collegiality or other such personality criteria. Initially, the operational context of faculty tenure …