The Tufts School of Arts and Sciences may soon see the creation of a new teaching rank, professor of the practice, which would allow outstanding people with extensive life experience but no Ph.D. to teach classes at Tufts.
If approved, the proposal would enable up to 10 professors of the practice to teach each year for a maximum of five years without the possibility of tenure. The vote to create this position will take place during the faculty meeting on April 4.
"This was a proposal from many years ago," Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser, who heads the Arts and Sciences Administration, said. "There was a committee who worked on it ... It was discussed, but it was not voted upon because there were issues that still had to be worked out," he said.
This, however, is the first time the position has been discussed since the dissolution of the first committee, Glaser said.
The professor of the practice position has been successfully implemented at the Tufts School of Engineering and similar positions exist at many other universities, according to Glaser.
"My impression is that they [the School of Engineering] have brought three excellent practicing teachers to their school," he said.
Sharan Schwartzberg, chair of Tufts' Boston School of Occupational Therapy, thinks that the position will improve students' education by improving the departments' capacity to keep up with advancements in their area of study.
"Students value, rightfully so, the chance to learn from players in the field," she said. "This is a way to spur creativity because it would be possible to bring in a different blend of faculty based on the changing needs of the department."
Schwartzberg also pointed out that the teachers brought in could help students focus on the practical aspects of their classes. She referenced the engineers with whom her school works as one such example.
"It would be wonderful to have an engineer on our faculty who is out there building, designing, or planning housing, to work with our faculty and students. It would bring energy to addressing problems that we might not have otherwise," Schwartzberg said.
According to Glaser, this program would also attract different kinds of faculty. "You could have a director, a very accomplished director, come and teach several courses in the drama department. This [position] would entice such a person [to come] here in a way a lecturer position may not," he said.
According to freshman Jared Olkin, the addition will be highly beneficial for students. "I think it will be inspiring to students [to see] that what they are learning has practical use and they can actually take it somewhere," he said. "In some ways it seems to me a lot of academia is designed to simply further academia and it is often hard to see the application of what we see in the real world."
The proposal, however, has met with some challenges and reservations.
At the last faculty meeting, some teachers were concerned that the five-year limit of the contracts would curb the professors' ability to grow and expand as teachers.
Glaser, however, disagrees. "First of all we are not seeking permanent faculty [through the program]," he said. "These are people who would come here for a couple of years and make a difference by teaching with their real world experience. You want circulation. You want new people with their experiences coming in all the time."
Chair of the Dance and Drama Department Barbara Grossman sees the professor of the practice rank as a good idea, but said that it lacks clarification.
"The details of this really need to be worked out. It wasn't a terribly detailed presentation at the last faculty meeting," she said. "I do see it as an exciting potential opportunity."
Glaser expressed his support for the potential position as well. "I hope it passes. I think the deans hope it passes because it gives them a tool for filling certain positions in certain departments with very exciting individuals who might not come here otherwise," he said.
