Prof. Austin quoted in International Business piece on Walker, tenure


Andrew Austin, an associate professor and chair of Democracy and Justice Studies at UW-Green Bay, is quoted at the end of an International Business Times article about Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to move academic tenure from state statutes to Board of Regents control. Headlined “Scott Walker Tenure Controversy,” the article quotes a range of observers including faculty members worried about new language that would allow for the release of tenured professors when it is “deemed necessary due to a budget or program decision requiring program discontinuance, curtailment, modification or redirection.” Austin’s quote: 
“Tenure protections set in law tell the rest of the country that Wisconsin is committed to upholding academic freedom and sees tenure as a crucial asset in attracting the best professionals around the world and keeping them here in Wisconsin. Why shouldn’t we be a model for the nation? The state is already losing some of its finest faculty, which means an exodus of research moneys from the state. It will lose a great deal more if tenure protections are removed or weakened. If economic and social developments are valuable things to Wisconsinites, then retention of strong tenure language is essential.” To read the full article.