Bob Modzelewski

Professors without doctoral degrees within the Golisano College of Computing & Information Sciences may be denied promotions under new requirements proposed by President Destler.

Destler recently told GCCIS professors up for tenure that a Ph.D. was required for promotion, informally stating that they would not be receiving promotions. Previously, the administration would grant professors promotions regardless of whether they possessed a terminal degree (the highest degree one may receive in their field) as long as were highly recommended by colleagues and contributed significantly to RIT.

Explaining his decision at a Student Government meeting on the 21st, Destler said, “I looked at the paperwork, and in my opinion, these professors would not have been given tenure track in other colleges of significant stature. On the other hand, I was in an uncomfortable position...I decided to grant them tenure but told them I would not promote them up from an associate professor until they held a terminal degree.”

“My job is partially to move the Institute up…I want to do it in a way that does as little harm as possible, but I still want to do it,” he said. “I’m working towards teaching rules in general. so that our faculty has more time, either to pursue doctorates or research.”

Some students, however, remain critical of Destler’s position.“If professors without Ph.D.s are not going to get promoted, why would anyone who had industry experience—who usually hold just master’s degrees, if that—want to follow through with tenure?” asked Dave Morgan, a graduate student in Information Technology. “A good professor needs passion, needs to want to work in their field, they need expertise in their field...They don’t need that piece of paper that hangs on their wall.”

Other GCCIS students echo Morgan’s feelings. “I feel personally I’ve learned more from professors that have had industry experience. I actually prefer professors that have had at least some industry experience,” said Larissa Stawnychy, a Computer Science student.

“These are professors who have a lot of practical knowledge, a lot of hands-on knowledge. And they have expertise in more than just one particular area, which you get with a Ph.D. Innovation starts with the problems we have in industry, not the problems we have in academia,” said GCCIS Senator Paul Solt.

These concerns were brought by Morgan, Stawnychy, and Solt to SG President Ed Wolf, who did not entirely agree with the concerns. He said, “In my personal experience, some of the brightest professors I’ve ever had have been Ph.D.s. And they are very smart in their own regard, but in their own specific field.”

Destler also said that he will be working with the deans of the colleges in order to find a standard for promotion for each college, as different fields have different standards for the terminal degree or required corporate experience. “It wasn’t in any sense an attempt to change the Institute from a student focus to a research focus,” he said. “It was an attempt to move towards a standard that’s the same at other fine institutions.”