With one of the toughest tenure laws in the nation, Alabama is facing yet another bill that could potentially make it easier for school officials to terminate faculty without just cause.

The Students First Act of 2011 bill is a rewrite of the Teacher Tenure Law and Fair Dismissal Act that could potentially strip all kindergarten through 12th grade employees of tenure and due process, according to the Alabama Education Association.

At UNA, an award of tenure is not a right, but rather a privilege that must be earned by a faculty member on the basis of his or her performance during a probationary period, according to the faculty handbook.

For a professor to gain tenure, he or she must show evidence of accomplishment in three different areas: teaching, research and service. Probationary faculty members are notified by Oct. 1 if they are in line for tenure. They must submit a portfolio, go before a department tenure committee and be selected before tenure will be awarded for the fall of the following year, according to the faculty handbook.

Receiving tenure will remain an integral part of higher education, said Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost John Thornell.

“Tenure is so well-entrenched in the culture of higher education — it will be with us for a long, long time,” Thornell said. “This lifetime contract (tenure) is the concept you’re going to continue to perform to acceptable standards. This requires commitment to disciple and teaching.”

The ranks of professorship include instructors, assistant professors, associate professors and full professors. Each requires different qualifications for tenure, but doctorate degree holders are typically hired on the tenure track, Thornell said.

“If I were to put tenured and non-tenured employees in a room, I couldn’t tell them apart,” Thornell said. “Students should have a set of expectations of the faculty members to give it their very best despite their tenure status.”

Removing the option for tenure could destroy the university, Associate Professor of English Lesley Peterson said.

“Tenure gives teachers the protection they need to have a voice to keep the program strong,” Peterson said. “If we have no job security, that equals great inflation, which equals poor education, which equals a loss in credibility.”

Being fired without just cause is something other professions have to deal with, said student Jessica Collingwood.

“Personally, I’m a little envious that teachers are the only ones that have that privilege here in Alabama,” Collingwood said.

Faculty members who are not tenured are either on a three-year rolling contract or have yearly-renewed contracts.

Mathematics instructor Karen Driskell said her main frustration is reapplying each year for reappointment.

“Hypothetically, with my three-year rolling contract, it gives me two more years to find a job if I am not reappointed,” she said. “I go above and beyond the demands of my position. My frustration is I am not eligible for promotion as a non-tenure track faculty member.”

Tenure is the equivalent of yearly contracts for company employees, but the need for a harsher tenure law is visible to future educator and student Kelsey Brown.

“The thing I don’t like about (tenure) is teachers can easily become too comfortable with where they are and what they teach, which in turn reduces the quality of teaching,” Brown said. “So, if we keep tenure it should be paired with bi-yearly classes and exams for teachers so they can stay up-to-date with the material. If they are not able to pass these exams, then that should be reason enough for termination.”