Students say Northeastern U Terminating Non-Ph.D. Faculty to Move Up In the Rankings

Interesting article, I wonder will this rule also include hiring only instructors with traditional doctorates?

by Margaret Kamara
May 31, 2007, 00:11


BOSTON
Northeastern University is purging its communications and journalism program of instructors who lack doctorates in a move students say is motivated by the university’s quest to improve its U.S. News World Report ranking.

The university recently implemented a new policy requiring faculty to hold the highest degree in their field. The policy has mostly affected the College of Arts and Sciences’ schools of communications and journalism, where 10 professors have been notified that their contracts would not be renewed.

Dr. Susan Powers-Lee, the university’s executive vice provost, says the policy is part of the university’s academic investment plan, created by its former president, Dr. Richard M. Freeland, and executed by the new president, Dr. Joseph E. Aoun.

“Although other kinds of instructors can bring very valuable qualities to the classroom, fulfilling every aspect of our teaching model requires teachers who hold an advance degree, and who themselves are deeply committed to the generation of knowledge in their field,” says Powers-Lee.

One of the first professors whose termination was publicized on campus was Susan E. Picillo, who has been at the university for 10 years and nominated twice for the Excellence in Teaching Award, as reported in the Northeastern News, the student newspaper.

Picillo could not be reached for comment, but she told the newspaper that she was shocked when she received her letter of termination and was told her contract, which expired earlier this month, would not be renewed for the upcoming school year.

Students reacted to the news by holding a rally on behalf of the professors. Several students started online petitions urging the university to “support exceptional teachers.”

Out of the top 100 national colleges and universities, Northeastern ranks 98, according to the U.S. News’ list. Robert Morse, U.S. News’ director of data and research, says the “percent faculty with top terminal degree” is worth 3 percent of the total ranking.

Michael DeRamo, interim vice president for academic affairs for the student government association, has been the liaison between the student body and administrators on the issue.

“It definitely does [have to do with the ranking],” says DeRamo. “It came up when we were discussing Picillo’s case. The university needs to take a more holistic look at faculty and how they are performing and not the rankings, which are arbitrary to what they are teaching.”

Six of the 10 professors are currently still with the university, in large part because of the student outcry. College of Arts and Sciences spokeswoman Kristin Stanley says the six professors, including Picillo, have been reassigned to other departments and have received new contracts.

Dr. Barbara Brittingham, the director of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, says the new policy is common for universities hoping to advance academically.

“Universities are constantly looking for better professors, and having an advanced degree is one of the standards institutions take in trying to get better,” she says.

Bill Durkin, a recent Northeastern graduate and a former student government president, says he supports the new policy even though he says he believes it has more to do with U.S. News’ rankings than with improving education for students.“

Durkin was one of the spearheads in the fight to restore Picillo’s job and spoke at the student rally.

I support the university’s goal of increasing its faculty members who hold Ph.D.s, but there should be exceptions,” he says. “I had Susan Picillo and she was exceptional. I was disappointed to see that the university let her go.”
Dr. Wayne Wanta, president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications and a journalism professor at the University of Missouri, Columbia, says that university administrators are often overly focused on advanced degrees, especially in fields like journalism that rely largely on real-world experience.
“The problem lies in university administrations, because journalism schools admire and appreciate experience,” he says. “The administration appreciates a Ph.D. and an emphasis on research and tenure.”
Wanta’s university ranks 88th on U.S. News’ rankings. He says that although the journalism program is considered one of the best in the country, less than half of its staff hold doctorates.
Lorraine Branham, the director of the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism, says Northeastern is making a mistake.
“If you look at the top 10 journalism programs, they use practitioners,” says Branham, who does not hold a doctorate but has more than 25 years of experience as a newspaper editor. “Any strong journalism program needs extensive professional experience, not to downplay the Ph.D.”
Branham says journalism schools aren’t “just about telling war stories, but teaching from experiences. It is different from teaching from a book.”

 

A ridiculous policy.

Dave

 

The higher education establishment values jumping through hoops more than real measures of accomplishment - what else is new?

In a world where it's really about education and knowledge, every university would offer portfolio and prior learning assessment. But no, you have to learn it again, and you have to learn it our way!

 

Northeastern already has a great reputation and an obscene endowment...exactly what is it they're looking for?

 

A higher US News ranking, of course. In recent years, the administration has repeatedly and explicitly stated that their goal was to make the "Top 100" in the US News "National University" rankings. Northeastern recently achieved this goal (sort of), since they are now in a 7-way tie for 98th place. US News recognizes 248 "National Universities", so this puts them somewhere around the 41st percentile.

According to NACUBO, Northeastern's 2005 endowment was about $543 million, which does not seem particularly obscene by US private university standards. In terms of total size, Northeastern's endowment was #96 nationwide. In Massachusetts alone, there were 9 other schools (including several much smaller colleges) with bigger endowments than Northeastern.

Are you possibly confusing Northeastern University (in Boston) with Northwestern University (in Chicago)? Northwestern U is currently ranked #14 by US News, with a $4,200 million endowment in 2005.

 

Same thing happened to someone I know at another university. She was teaching there for over 10 years, and many years industry experience, but did not have a PhD.

She was told she would be allowed to remain, as long as she was pursing a PhD, however, she would not be able to take classes from the university she worked at.

For the next 3 years while working she commuted to classes at the another university which was about 2 hours away. Finally after completing her doctorate, she was told she could not be hired because there was not enough money in the budget to hire any new PhDs.Frustrated, she left. Their loss, our gain. She is now in a tenure position at UF and is exceptional.

 

Good for the Gators. The more time I spend in Gainesville the more impressed I become with UF. The situation with their basketball coach leaving ir not is the big story around here now.

In these situations being discussed is the degree specifically a PhD or would another form of doctorate EdD or DBA for example suffice, if applicable?

 

The article says terminal degree in the field, so presumably that means a Doctorate or equivalent.

This whole thing makes me happy I am not in academia, the craziest, most discriminating field I have seen that pays practically nothing.

 

I wholeheartly agree! It seems that giving the students the best possible educational experience is low on their priorities.

 

My understanding as an outsider looking in is that educating students is third on the list of priorities. First being publications and credentials of faculty, second being donations and alumni involvements, high recruitment, and high rejection percentages, and third being student education.

I of course am not in education and have no idea what I am talking about.