A recommendation from Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe to deny tenure to Prof. Joan Bryant (AAAS) has been forwarded to Provost Marty Krauss, provoking a show of support for the professor from members of the Brandeis Black Students Organization.The recommendation came after a tenure application process that typically takes six to eight months. After completing two three-year contracts as assistant professors, all tenure applicants must undergo an evaluation based on the scholarship, teaching and service of their work at the University in order to remain on the payroll for longer than one additional year.

Central to that process is the compilation of a dossier of all published work and other relevant material, which is evaluated first by scholars from around the world and then by an ad hoc committee of Brandeis professors appointed by Jaffe. The committee meets once to issue a recommendation to the dean, who then submits his recommendation to the provost. The provost makes all final decisions on tenure.

An e-mail from Bryant to BBSO's e-mail list told students that "the provost can consider any information she deems relevant to my case in making a final judgment," including "e-mails, letters and visits from students and faculty."

Concerned students, including BBSO President Kyle Turner '06, have met with the provost about the recommendation.

"[Bryant] has been very, very instrumental in the lives of the people who have taken [her] classes," he said. "She is only one of four professors [in the department] and moving her would be a major blow to that department, especially considering she is a major contributor to the people who have passed through that department and who have taken classes in that department."

Turner said Krauss alleviated some of his concerns after she explained the tenure application process at their meeting.

"[The provost] was letting us know exactly how [the recommendation] came about ... and what steps that she is going to take in reviewing [Bryant's] tenure application and her dossier," Turner said. "If that doesn't come up to snuff then there's nothing anybody can do about that."

Krauss said she has met with several students and received "lots and lots of mail after this case."

She said that while she "really appreciate[d] how much care people are putting into the letters and [that] they were obviously taking a lot of time," there was a saturation point where she was "hearing the same things over and over again," but that she was impressed by their consistency and quantity.

"[The students] have been telling me the same thing about special qualities that students and others really admire," Krauss said.

She also said it is important for students to be aware of the tenure application process when they advocate for a professor.

Bryant said she had no knowledge of a "campaign" on her behalf. She said she knew of only a few instances of students contacting the provost in support of her case.