Tenure Controversy Emerges At MD Anderson

The June 7, 2014 Houston Chronicle featured a front page article coauthored by reporters Todd Ackerman and Eric Berger about a faculty dispute at Houston’s premier cancer center, MD Anderson (“Cancer center in tenure dispute,” pages A1 and A13). Academic censure is possible for MD Anderson if the institution is investigated by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). It has long been known in academic circles that MD Anderson does not offer its faculty traditional tenure. Instead, it offers 7 year appointments that are usually renewed following faculty review. According to Ackerman and Berger, the current controversy arose when three faculty were given unanimous recommendations for renewal by MD Anderson’s institutional committee, but the MD Anderson President rejected the recommendations. UTMB remains on the AAUP censure list following the reduction of tenured faculty in the wake of Hurricane Ike and the resulting financial problems for the institution.