Wire Obtains Leaked Document

Chris Hankin, News Editor
November 14, 2017
Documents leaked to The Wire by an anonymous source indicate Whitman’s specific benchmarks to return to a 10-1 student-to-faculty ratio. The document indicates that the author hopes to reduce the number of FTE (Full Time Equivalent) by 19.5 by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. President M...
Letter to the Editor: Re: Letter to Faculty
Dana Burgess, Classics Department Chair and Charles E. and Margery B. Anderson Endowed Professor of Humanities
October 31, 2017
The Whitman faculty under the current administration is somewhat like the Republican Senate under Trump; neither can openly say what they think for fear of damaging progress toward their goals.
Keeping Tenure on Track
Mitchell Smith, Editor in Chief
January 26, 2017
Tenure evaluation guidelines modified to better-reflect “Whitman values”
New Study Suggests Positive Relationship Between Tenure and Apathy
Trevor Lewis, staff writer
March 10, 2016
While it has yet to be peer-reviewed, a groundbreaking new study from Georgetown University researchers points to a strong negative correlation between achieving tenure and caring about things. I reached out to Professor Gregory T. Phillips, lead researcher of the now famous tenure apathy study and...
ASWC seeks to increase student input on tenure

Natalie Berg
November 20, 2014
ASWC representatives are preparing a resolution based on research of the process for granting tenure at Whitman's 12 comparison colleges, in response to students' desire to become more involved in the college's process of hiring and granting tenure to professors. Several controversial decisions in...
Media Studies Professor’s Departure Raises Questions About Hiring Process

Hannah Bartman
December 12, 2013
Whitman College has hired Tarik Elseewi as the new tenure-track assistant professor of film and media studies beginning in the fall semester of 2014. The administration's choice, however, has been met with mixed reactions from students. Current Visiting Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies Annie Petersen was not hired for the ...
New Faculty Beat the Odds

Lachlan Johnson
September 12, 2013
Whitman College welcomed nine new tenure-track professors to campus this September after a long application process that chose each professor out of a pool of hundreds of applicants. The new faculty will teach subjects in every academic division, ranging from dance and rhetoric studies to geology and...
Piano Professor’s Departure Upsets Music Students
Sarah Cornett
November 15, 2012
In the past three years, the Whitman music department has undergone monumental shifts in its faculty, both tenure-track and temporary. After a recent decision to not rehire highly esteemed piano specialist Melissa Loehnig, some music students are questioning the policies of the administration and the...
Personnel committee denies Alberto’s appeal for tenure
Josh Goodman
May 16, 2012
Alberto G.*, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures for Spanish, was again denied tenure after the faculty personnel committee reconsidered his case. Alberto, who has been at Whitman for six years, applied for tenure during the Fall 2011 semester, as is typical of sixth-year assistant...
Sudden dismissal of dance instructor causes concern
Karah Kemmerly
March 11, 2012
Recently faculty decisions have motivated a desire amongst students to become more involved in Whitman's hiring process. The dance department is no exception. The decision not to renew Instructor of Modern Dance Vicki Lloid's contract has provoked surprise and concern from Whitman students involved...
Letter to the editor: Appreciation for Alberto G. Support
March 1, 2012
To the Editor, As students who advocated further review of Professor Alberto G.'s* tenure application, we would like commend The Pioneer for its thoughtful and accurate coverage. In particular, we found the Editorial Board's critique of student evaluations timely and stimulating. We also thank th...
Tenure controversy provokes student outcry

Kelsey Kennedy
February 9, 2012
This article was co-authored by Susanna Bowers. The news that Assistant Professor of Spanish Alberto G.* did not receive tenure came as a surprise to many on campus, provoking confusion and sparking conversation about the tenure process among students and faculty. Achieving tenure is among the d...