reasons for tenure #24952
ORNL fires Distinguished Scientist,
UT picks up slack
from Incoherent Ponderer
Oak Ridge National Lab denies charge that outspokenness of scientist the reason
NAS member and physicist who had a joint appointment at ORNL and University of Tennessee was terminated by ORNL without notice.
Reason, officially, was DoE's interest in "use-inspired" research as opposed to "discovery based" research.
The firing had absolutely nothing, whatsoever never-ever positively-not pinky-promise-honestly, to do with the researcher using his stature to make open criticism of the leadership, or lack thereof, at ORNL, as he perceived it.
Phew.
Since the appointment was shared with UT, and the good professor had tenure at UT he went back to the University full time.
Maybe he can continue his research on high density hydrogen storage at JIAM...
Damn. Wait.
ORNL owe me a check... now where is that post-at-future-date scheduling button...
Hi
You seem to have too much faith in tenure. See for instance,
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2008/04/03/N…
Or more generally, google "fired tenure professor".
Regards
Gordon
Gordon - so to summarize - if a professor ignores his job, colleages, students, service and research - after a decade of gross neglect of his duties - his tenure can get revoked. Good riddance.
I am acutely aware of many of the flaws with the tenure system, and do not have to google to know of tenured faculty who were dismissed.
But, like democracy, for all its flaws all the other systems seem to be worse still