Leader of Ohio State, biggest U.S. campus, takes on tenure

Ohio State University President Gordon Gee says the traditional formula that rewards publishing in scholarly journals over excellence in teaching and other contributions is outdated and too often favors the quantity of a professor’s output over quality.

The leader of the country’s largest university thinks it’s time to re-examine how professors are awarded tenure, a type of job-for-life protection virtually unknown outside academia.

"Someone should gain recognition at the university for writing the great American novel or for discovering the cure for cancer," he told The Associated Press. "In a very complex world, you can no longer expect everyone to be great at everything."

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins, The Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-05-university-tenure_N.htm