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Ph.D.'s

1)  It remains the accepted standard of exceptional academic 
attainment in higher education.

2)  Some of the smartest people I know have Ph. D.'s; some of the 
stupidest people I know have Ph. D.'s.

3)  #2 can also be said about people who don't have Ph. D.'s.

4)  #2 and #3 also apply to debate coaches I have known.

5)  Coaching debate can make it very hard to obtain a Ph. D.

6)  It can be very hard to get a "long-term," let alone tenure-
    track position without a Ph. D.  
    
7)  Berube is right; we need to explore ways to encourage Ph. D.
    DOF attainment while maintaining respect for those programs
    ran by non-Ph. D.'s.
    
8)  I have been in both situations; I quickly learned that without
    the Ph. D., and a tenurable position, it really didn't "matter"
    how well my program performed.  Sure, the administrations were
    happy to win; some even expected it.  But when my term ran out,
    or when higher ups demanded that the faculty line either be
    eliminated or filled by a tenurable (read "Ph. D. in hand") 
    person--all the accomplishments of my program amounted to a
    warm handshake, good recommendation letters, and don't let
    that door hit your ass too hard on the way out.  I don't blame
    the departments I worked for; they were pressured by the system.
    
9)  I know some really excellent coaches and scholars who have
    directed national championship programs who have faced the same
    dilemma as I describe in #8.  We're fooling ourselves if we 
    look at the handful of schools willing to indefinitely retain
    a non-tenurable DOF and think that we can persuade institutions
    to make THAT the trend rather than ultimately requiring a Ph. D.
    It may BECOME the trend, but only so long as the other trend 
    (increasingly scarce resources for forensics; elimination of
    programs) follows.

10)  Ph. D. attainment can enhance our scholarship as a profession,
    it can increase our visibility and respect as a discipline,
    it can ensure the availability of the program to future students, 
    or it can do none of those things.  The trick is to encourage it 
    to do the good things while not creating unrealistic barriers or
    exclusions to those who for whatever reason are in a non-Ph. D.
    category.
    
Terry West
SUU
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Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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