Several colleagues and former students of a popular faculty member are expressing surprise and disappointment at the University's decision earlier this spring to deny tenure to Tami Biddle, assistant professor of history.
Since coming to Duke in 1992, Biddle has developed a reputation for uniquely comparative research, strong teaching and involvement in students' lives. Students have written letters about the tenure decision to Provost Peter Lange and President Nan Keohane.
"I think it's a terrible decision. She's an amazing person, who's a great teacher and a great scholar," said Sam Williamson, Trinity '93, a former Fulbright Scholar who, like Biddle, studied military history. Williamson recalled Biddle visiting one AIDS-infected student on his death bed.
Lange, who has final authority in all tenure cases with input from several faculty committees and deans, said he has received a couple letters regarding the case. He declined to comment further, however, citing strict confidentiality policies for personnel decisions, including faculty appointments, promotions and tenure.
Another of this spring's appointment decisions--over which a professor and his lawyer threatened a lawsuit against the University--has now been settled. Stephen Sheehi, visiting assistant professor of the practice of Asian and African languages and literature, declined to comment on the specifics of the settlement, but said he will remain at Duke next year on research leave.
Currently on leave, Biddle is serving as a visiting professor at the U.S. Army War College, where she said she will remain through December. She said she does not have plans for afterward.
"My own view is to let it be part of the past and look to the future," Biddle said. "I feel I lived up to all of the department's expectations and done all that was expected of me, but the provost obviously felt differently and now it's something that he will have to sort out with his departments."
History department professors said they were especially surprised by the decision because they said the department had unanimously recommended in Biddle's favor. Like other cases, Biddle's candidacy then moved on to an academic dean before consideration by the Committee on Appointment, Promotion and Tenure and the provost.
Professor of History Alex Roland, a specialist in military history, and history department chair John Thompson praised Biddle's recent book comparing American and British strategic bombing methods. Roland said the publisher, Princeton University Press, is the premiere academic publishing house for history.
"I think that her book on strategic bombing... is going to be recognized for many years to come as the best book on that topic," Roland said. "It surely is the one I will recommend to anyone who inquires about that topic."
Biddle suggested that a delay in finishing the book may have hurt her tenure candidacy, but she said that writing a comparative work necessarily takes longer than traditional historical research.
Christopher Wilkins, Trinity '02, also wrote letters to Lange and Keohane and said that regardless of the time Biddle took to finish her book, her teaching and service should allow her to stay at the University. However, he expressed doubt about the prospects for changing the criteria for tenure. The University's Faculty Handbook states that excellent research is the main criterion to win tenure, with good teaching and campus service expected as well.
"I think Duke is saying it's against good teaching, against teachers who take an active interest in their students' lives," said Wilkins, who graduated in May with the history department's award for best senior thesis, which he said Biddle encouraged him to write.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.