photo by: Screenshot // Faculty Senate Town Hall Meeting
University of Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod and provost Barbara Bichelmeyer joined members of KU's Faculty Senate for a town hall meeting on March 31.
University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod emphasized the importance of tenure at a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon and said a Kansas Board of Regents policy that would temporarily suspend tenure protections would only be used as a last resort.
Girod and Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer responded to a series of questions about the controversial policy during the virtual town hall, which was hosted by KU’s Faculty Senate.
When asked how they would rate the importance of tenure on KU’s status as a research institution on a scale from one to 10, both top administrators gave it a 10. Girod said tenure was an important aspect of an Association of American Universities (AAU) institution, that it helped protect academic freedom, and that it affected the ability to attract and retain talented faculty members.