Deepa Acevedo responds to the “ad nauseam” arguments against tenure.
To the editor:
Although I’m a compulsive Inside Higher Ed reader, I somehow missed James Wetherbe’s recent argument against tenure (“Possibly My Last View on the Trouble With Tenure,” April 29, 2026)—or, rather, I didn’t read the particular words he used because I’ve encountered those arguments ad nauseam. They’re understandable, but they’re wrong.
Let’s break it down.
Wetherbe writes, “Tenure renders U.S. colleges less competitive on the world stage.”
Bypassing the Bachelor’s Degree
A Professor Should Work Hard and Grade Easy
AFT members paid for Weingarten’s book. She kept the royalties
The reading wars are over. The learning wars are just beginning
Opinion | My Students Can’t Read
Letters to The Editor — June 3, 2026
Student attention spans, redistricting and Ted Turner, in readers’ eyes.
Take it from an eyewitness: Our colleges don’t deserve this.
The conditions in which teachers and support staff work, and the pay they receive has caused readers to react.
"The classroom is heavy with rumor and ominous unease."
Courses should be vetted for content, excellence of teaching and the subsequent success of students who take them
Rachel and Gordon discuss the labor problem in academe.
