Abstract
This essay examines the inequitable standards and institutional inconsistencies affecting the tenure and promotion of technical theatre faculty, using Western Carolina University as a case example. It outlines the university’s policies requiring terminal degrees for tenure-track appointments and highlights the undervaluation of creative and technical work relative to scholarly publication. Despite departmental acknowledgment of creative activity as equivalent to research, university-level decisions consistently privilege traditional academic outputs, leaving technical faculty vulnerable to exclusion or demotion. The author describes cases where qualified designers were denied advancement despite exceptional performance and professional recognition, emphasizing the structural biases embedded in faculty evaluation systems. Drawing on recent initiatives by the University and College Theatre Association, the essay supports the creation of standardized national guidelines that recognize artistic production as legitimate scholarship. It calls for collaborative efforts among professional organizations to establish evaluative criteria, documentation procedures, and external juror systems that ensure fair treatment of technical theatre professionals. Without such reforms, the essay warns, higher education will continue to marginalize essential contributors to theatre education.
Recommended Citation
Loeffler, Donald L.
(1986)
"The Tenuring of Technical Theatre Faculty: A Call for Assistance,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 57, Article 17.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol57/iss1/17
