Assoc. prof to fight tenure denial

Associate English Professor Arkady Plotnitsky may fight his tenure denial in front of a University-wide grievance panel this semester under a veil of secrecy designed to protect all parties, College of Arts and Sciences officials said last week. Plotnitsky is appealing the University's decision last spring to deny him tenure in the English Department, saying that he was led to believe that he would receive tenure after his seventh year and that his department supported him completely. His appeal will be held in front of a University-wide grievance panel presided over by Statistics Professor John DeCani, who declined to comment on the subject, citing the need for complete confidentiality on grievance cases. Last spring, the English Department voted unanimously to grant Plotnitsky tenure, with 24 professors voting for his tenure, no votes against his acceptance and two abstentions. His denial by the University came as a surprise and disappointment to many faculty members who feel that Plotnitsky is a "true intellectual" and a strong asset to the department. John Richetti, head of the English Department, will represent Plotnitsky at the grievance because Plotnitsky himself is not allowed to attend, Richetti said. Rita Barnard, assistant English professor, said last week that Plotnitsky's tenure denial is very depressing to the junior faculty who will face the same tenure application procedure in the future. "It would be an enormous loss if he wasn't tenured," Barnard said. "It's not just that he's good, but he's got a true commitment to Penn." Barnard said that it is depressing because Plotnitsky is an accomplished intellectual, who has published three books and teaches a popular critical theory class essential to both English and Comparative Literature students. English Professor Wendy Steiner said the department whole-heartedly supports him and that his critical theory course is essential for students moving onto the graduate level. "I'd love for him to get tenured. I think he's wonderful," she said last week. Barbara Herrnstein Smith, distinguished professor of English and Comparative Literature at Duke University and former University professor, described the unusual cross-disciplinary nature of Plotnitsky's work. She said he specializes in 19th Century British Romantic Poetry and did his doctoral dissertation in critical theory. "That's a field [that asks] questions of interpretation, questions on the nature of knowledge -- very general questions of interpretation, language, history . . . and epistomology," she said. Smith said she was Plotnitsky's advisor while she was at the University and said Plotnitsky's work is very elegant, intellectual and rigorous. She said its cross-disciplinary nature makes it very specialized and that its originality makes it difficult for people on the tenure committee -- who are not in Plotnitsky's area -- to evaluate. Smith said she is optimistic that "anyone who looks on the grievance will be convinced that it was quite a mistake."

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