Some faculty members at Point Park University in Pittsburgh recently received smaller bonuses than many of their colleagues due to their grading policies.
In an effort to fight the trend of grade inflation -- the increase of the grade point averages of undergraduate students across the nation -- the Point Park administration decided to decrease the merit-based bonuses for some of its faculty. As many as six professors who qualified for the bonuses only received half of the standard amount for awarding too many A's to students.
These professors "gave A's to more than 50 percent [of the class], and some [gave up to] 78 percent," Point Park spokeswoman Ginny Frizzi said.
The professors have been given the option of appealing the decision, although none have chosen to do so, Frizzi added.
The six faculty members received only $1,000, while a typical merit bonus is worth $2,000.
Cynthia Liefeld, vice president of academic affairs at Point Park, could not be reached for comment.
Though Penn administration officials have been tracking grade inflation statistics on campus, have never changed a professor's compensation due to grades.
"Recommendations for faculty raises are based on evidence of excellence in teaching and scholarship," College Dean Rebecca Bushnell said.
However, Bushenell added, "We have looked at grade distributions in different departments and courses and in a few cases of anomalies we have discussed them with faculty."
Penn Law professor Nate Persily said that the actions of the Point Park administration were "perfectly legal," and that a private university can determine how the grades of its students are allocated.
However, Robert Kreiser, senior program officer for the American Association of University Professors, said that this case "raises concerns about a potential violation" of academic freedom, and that how "meritorious" a faculty member is should not be based on grade distribution.
The burden of proof falls on the administration to demonstrate that a faculty member has acted unprofessionally, Kreiser said.
Otherwise, faculty members should have the ability to determine the grades given in their courses, he added.
Frizzi emphasized that the awards were "above and beyond" the standard salaries of faculty members, and thus the fines should be considered not as a loss of money but a failure to gain an additional reward.
