What Oklahoma's Tenure Ban Got Wrong

"While faculty at the state's public research universities-Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma-will keep their tenure, new teaching staff at the 23 affected colleges will shift to renewable contracts tied to "teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.""

"The smaller regional colleges and universities have lower costs of attendance and provide students with the special supports they need- smaller class sizes and personal relationships with professors. But now, classes at their closest and most affordable institutions will be taught by professors much less likely to invest in the long-term health of their institutions and communities."

""What about our students? Are they less important? At a time when we complain about the cost of education, do we really want to undermine the schools that offer affordable, high-quality education? Schools like mine may not survive if they cannot attract faculty.""

Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order making Oklahoma the first state to ban tenure for new faculty at regional public universities and community colleges, while preserving tenure at research-intensive institutions like Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. New teaching staff will work under renewable contracts based on teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment. The order aims to ensure higher education delivers results for students, taxpayers, and the economy. However, this unilateral decision undermines smaller, affordable institutions that provide personalized education through smaller class sizes and close professor-student relationships. Faculty at these institutions may be less invested in long-term institutional health, potentially threatening the survival of schools offering accessible, quality education to rural communities.

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