Copyright (C) 1996 Dana Mackenzie
Reprinted With Author's Permission
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Chapter 6. Epilogue
The German professor mentioned in the last two entries won a more satisfying victory than I did. After the "informal consultation" phase of the grievance procedure, the administration offered her a re-evaluation similar to the one I underwent. In the re-evaluation, which was conducted this time by the brand-new Promotion and Tenure Committee as well as a brand-new president and provost, she received tenure. She benefited not only from my experience, but also from having a well-organized team of faculty advocates from other departments. Again, this shows the importance of having someone else to argue your case. At a liberal arts college, it may be harder for a mathematician to mobilize this sort of support, since there are fewer other disciplines that "speak the same language."
Len, who did such a marvelous job as my advocate and taught me that a few well-chosen words can be more effective than pages of arguments, received one of the two Trustees' Distinguished Teaching Awards in 1996. Ironically, a mathematician won the other one--a vindication for him, as he had been distressed by receiving criticism on his second reappointment review (in 1993) quite similar to the criticism I had received on mine.