Academic Profession: A Sad Reality

A sad reality about the academic profession all over the world.... Here's a reflective note from my former teacher, Walden Bello, a respected academic himself and awarded Outstanding Public Scholar by the International Political Economy Section of the International Studies Association (ISA), regarding a lesson that can be drawn from the Amy Bishop incident:

" Being denied tenure often ends an

 academic's career, and there are so many cases of denials being based on flimsy, questionable, and downright unjust grounds. There are so many capable and brilliant minds that are today part of the walking wounded, destroyed by the tenure process. It's time educational institutions ... review the tenure process so that it does not become a mechanism whereby the mediocre and non-productive defend their sinecures from younger, bright, and productive scholars. "

Sad that up-and-coming talents are often confronted with terrible personal insecurities of already 'tenured' (i.e., with job security) faculty members. Even sadder that there are many academics who need the energy that comes from bullying, senseless power play, and hating others intensely just to keep them going.

Luckily, whenever I encounter insecure and hateful academics, I just remember the most important teachers, professors, and mentors in my life who are very good—both professionally and as human beings—who have made me feel and experience an old-fashioned academic culture of generosity, encouragement, and inspiration. These are the academics with a sense of humility, not pride; philanthropy, not patronage; love, not hate.