Beckwith Tenure Denial: Evidence?
I blogged on the Beckwith tenure denial
recently. I see that Reformclub has a list of links on the subject. None I’ve seen try to argue for why he should have gotten tenure except to say that he’s published a lot of words, he seems smart to them, and he’s inspired some students.
On the other, Brian Leiter, in a
2003 post, casts doubt on whether Beckwith’s vita is any good:
“As to Professor Beckwith’s publications (with a 5th-rate press, and second- and third-tier law reviews, all edited by students, not faculty by the way),…”
So I am inclined to doubt that Professor Beckwith actually did deserve tenure. I could be persuaded otherwise, but it is up to his supporters to make a case for it. I see, by the way, that many of the blog comments are by people who don’t understand that tenure is not based on how smart the candidate is, or on how many words he has published, but on the quality and quantity of his writing. How is that quality measured? The simplest way is by looking at the quality of journal in which an article is published. If the articles are not published, at all, or are in low-quality journals, then the presumption is that the articles are low-quality. That is a rebuttable presumption, but to rebut it one must make a case that the articles are presenting new and important ideas, which means talking about the ideas themselves.
April 12th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
I’ve never read your blog so I don’t know if you are an academic, but if so, apparently not in the fields of philosophy and/or religion/politics. Beckwith’s C.V. is outstanding, which is readily admitted by virtually all parties at Baylor. You saw the links at my blog, but did you somehow miss who is publishing Beckwith’s latest book: Cambridge University Press. What is also impressive about Beckwith is the range of publication he has achieved. Philosophy journals, bioethics journals, theology journals, law reviews, etc.
And yes, since it will be brought up, I am his former graduate assistant. But just to summarize, the quality of publication has never been in doubt by anyone in the process. One might start by comparing Beckwith’s publications to his peers at Baylor before issuing the kind of statements you’ve made here.
April 12th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
I have to add that if you will look at the MacMillan Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the majority of the article on abortion discusses Beckwith’s work on the pro-life side of the equation. He is a major voice on the subject of abortion, which is reflected by the upcoming Cambridge release.
April 12th, 2006 at 1:00 pm
I don’t think it’s so easy to look at the quality of the journal in which an article is published, if the subject of those articles is anathema to the profession. My read (as an outsider) is that it is impossible for a scientific article that in any way supports ID to get a fair refereeing process.
April 13th, 2006 at 5:43 am
Admin note: A reader asked me to post this, having had trouble with the comment mechanism. If anybody else has trouble, please do email me at erasmuse@indiana.edu, at least so I’ll know something needs fixing.
1.. The granting of tenure is indeed measured by more than just how smart
a fellow is and the number of words he has written. And surely any
consideration of whether a tenure case has been decided fairly must also
take into account the academic tenor of the institution making the decision.
So making an informed judgment would require taking a hard look at the
quality of the presses and journals that Beckwith has published with, as
well as the records of his peers at Baylor. This would surely be better than
an “inclination” to doubt Beckwith’s case based upon the word of that
ever-so-objective and fair-minded observer, Brian Leiter.
Speaking of Leiter, he rightly makes note of his work being published by
Cambridge Press. Rumor has it Cambridge is a high quality establishment.
Beckwith’s latest book is being published by . . . Cambridge University
Press. They must think more highly of Beckwith than Professor Leither does.
I’m inclined to trust them more than I do Professor Leiter, but you and your
readers can make your own judgment on that score.
Beckwith’s other publications can be found here:
http://www3.baylor.edu/~Francis_Beckwith/publications.html.
The list includes articles published in journals at Harvard, Notre Dame,
various respectable law schools, Baylor’s own Journal of Church and State,
and various religious journals. While it’s undoubtedly the case that Leiter
and those who share his philosophical outlook would look down on many of the
religious outlets, surely Baylor has no warrant to do so.
And that’s really the rub. Beckwith’s record is far and away in the very
top tier of professors currently at Baylor. He has published in a range of
venues, and that range includes excellent presses and journals, and many
mid-range journals. While I suppose one could quibble over what counts as
“low-quality”, I submit that a fair reading of the works cited in the link
above, along with a consideration of Baylor’s standing in academia, would
put the burden of proof back upon those who deny Beckwith a place at Baylor.