Carolyn Brown, an assistant professor at American University, is appealing the provost’s decision to reject her tenure application, saying the rejection is based upon a “flawed and biased” analysis of her teaching efficiency.
The School of Communication professor says that AU’s provost, Dr. Scott A. Bass, unfairly evaluated and denied her tenure application for promotion on March 10 despite the fact that he received six “stellar” external review letters, and favorable recommendations for her tenure from senior colleagues.
Brown, who is Latina, filed an official appeal of the decision with the Committee on Faculty Grievances on June 5, and alleges that she is also being reprimanded for her advocacy on race and gender issues at the university.
The AU Faculty Manual says that an appeal must meet certain criteria: if a tenure denial is the result of discrimination, if the denial decision process deviates from the requirements of the manual, or if “evidence that existed before the provost’s or dean of academic affairs’ decision was not discovered through appropriate diligence on the part of any party and is likely to change the outcome of the decision.”
Brown, who was appointed to a tenure-track position in the journalism division in 2010, submitted her application for tenure and promotion last October. The application included letters of support from external and internal reviewers who recommended her for tenure and promotion.
Internal AU faculty reviewers—associate professor Maggie Stogner, professor Charles Lewis and Journalism Division Director Dr. John Watson—praised Brown in their letter of recommendation to Dr. Jeffrey Rutenbeck, who is the dean of the School of Communication.
The reviewers described Brown’s service to the university, her impressive filmmaking accomplishments about the Latino experience, her service to the Diversity Committee, and her mentorship of students of color on campus.
