Sweet denies tenure to professor despite panel's favorable vote

Students thought an appeal recommendation would result in tenure .
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Dr. Eric See may have won over the members of a panel hearing his appeal over denial of tenure, but he still won't have a job at Youngstown State University after the end of this school year June 30.
The final decision on See's bid for tenure as a member of the university's Criminal Justice Department was in the hands of Dr. David C. Sweet, YSU president, and Sweet said that it won't be granted, despite a 2-1 vote by the appeal panel recommending that See get tenure.
See, who was a YSU instructor for two years and an assistant professor on tenure track at YSU for the past six years, said he had hoped the appeal panel recommendation would persuade Sweet to rule in his favor and go against recommendations from the dean of the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services and the provost, both opposed to his tenure.
Sweet told The Vindicator that he made his final decision Wednesday, upholding the position of the dean and provost.
"I've been in limbo for the last six months," See said Monday.
Student support
Many of his criminal justice students have been squarely in his corner, holding a number of campus protests over the impending denial of tenure and urging the administration to reconsider. The rallies, which drew 50 to 60 people, were held at The Rock, the informal campus message board for student issues, which has been repainted a number of times with messages of support for See.
Megan Pryor of Poland, a junior criminal justice major and one of the organizers of student support for See, said she was surprised by Sweet's decision.
The students kept being told that there was an appeals process and to let that process proceed. They didn't expect the president to ignore the findings of the appeal panel, she said.
However, in a prepared statement released Monday, Sweet said that the university and faculty union "have established criteria and a process to assure that our faculty reach certain standards before being granted tenure. That process was followed in making this decision. The provost and the dean overseeing Dr. See's department have decided that Dr. See does not meet those standards and should not be granted tenure. Upon thorough review, I agree."
Some disagreed.
Recommendations
The tenure committee of the Criminal Justice Department and the chairman of that department both had recommended See for tenure, and the Student Government Association and the YSU Academic Senate both passed resolutions of support for See.
See said he has met the department criteria for tenure and never had a negative evaluation of his performance.
The college dean questioned his level of scholarship, which covers such things as publishing papers, securing grants, writing books and making presentations at conferences and seminars, See said, adding that he was surprised to learn the dean thought he should have done more.
He is one of only two faculty members in the Criminal Justice Department with a doctorate in criminal justice or criminology.
Overwhelmed by backing
See said he didn't ask students to take up his cause but was overwhelmed by the fact that they did.
More than 100 letters and more than 1,000 signatures on petitions supporting his tenure bid were presented to the administration, he said. The university claims to value student opinion, but it appeared to count for nothing here, See said.
He hasn't decided on his next move.
"There are definite options," he said, confirming that a lawsuit is one of them. He has to sit down with his family and discuss what they want to do, he said.
gwin@vindy.com