This past week, the announcement was made that Professors Lori Huth, Dr. John Rowley, and Dr. Jamie Potter would be receiving tenure. Tenure provides job security for the faculty member, who has typically served six years, subject to the guidelines of Houghton’s Statement of Community Responsibility and Doctrinal Statement. Specifically for Houghton, tenured faculty members need to have an earned degree in a field related to their teaching and show strength in integration of faith with learning and practice, teaching, scholarship and service to the college.
Despite popular belief, tenure is not job security for life no matter what the faculty member does, but a guarantee of full due process in evaluations of performance and behavior.
The process to attain tenure is a lengthy one. Over the course of the six years served, multiple people and committees review the faculty members’ applications, teachings, scholarship and service. Everyone from faculty peers to President Mullen is involved in the process.
Relief that the strenuous and rigorous process is over is the general consensus of the three professors. “The application process itself is a lot of work,” says Huth. She said achieving tenure “requires many years of working hard on all components of being a good faculty member.” Linda Mills Woolsey, Dean of the College, praised the creative writing professor stating “Ms. Huth brings high standards to writing teaching and some of her students have been winning national awards.”
Rowley, Professor of Chemistry, feels receiving tenure validates his vocation, which is to “teach students to be excellent scientists in a Christian context.” Woolsey said Rowley has “provided leadership for Science Honors and strong service to the Chemistry program.” Although he feels now he does not need to worry about proving himself, Rowley wants to debunk the popular myth that professors become lazy after receiving tenure. “I think tenure results in greater responsibility on the part of faculty,” said Rowley.
For Potter, she doesn’t want her position to make her complacent. “There are a lot of things I want to achieve in the department,” stated the biology professor. She feels having tenure will give her more confidence to “take the advancements” that she wants to take. Along with Rowley, Potter has made contributions to Science Honors and “has done a great deal to build and support Pre-Health Professions,” says Woolsey.
Both the Rank and Tenure Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Boards were “Impressed by the achievements of these faculty,” according to Woolsey. Huth, Rowley, and Potter “Have shown a strong commitment to teaching and to serving students.”