Gartner doesn’t have teaching facts straight

Michael Gartner has had a stellar career in journalism. He may be bright, but some of his opinions about the University of Iowa are dead wrong.

In a recent opinion piece for the Des Moines Register, Gartner (a member of the state Board of Regents) asserts that the teaching load of UI professors, which he believes is six hours or fewer in classrooms per week, must be increased and (2) that faculty members at the UI have too much authority.

Nothing could be further from the truth in either case. I spent 45 years of my life in universities, as a student, as a professor, and as an administrator. Thirty-five of those years were at the UI. It is irresponsible to claim that six hours or fewer a week are spent in classrooms by professors and then not speak about all the other interactions a professor may have with students, the research conducted side by side with them, and the community service rendered by both professors and students. It reinforces the erroneous perception among some that professors are slackers who don't earn their pay.

His claim that professors have too much authority flies in the face of long-standing traditions of effective governance at the UI and at most U.S. universities. The National Education Association says it best: “Shared governance is critical to the culture and vitality of higher education. Any decline in the participation of faculty in governance seriously threatens the quality of higher education institutions.”

Lawrence L. Rettig

South Amana