argument140 南智二组１６次作业

merryjeanUID: 2243650

140. The following appeared in a report of the Committee on Faculty Promotions and Salaries at Elm City University. "During her seventeen years as a professor of botany, Professor Thomas has proved herself to be well worth her annual salary of $50,000. Her classes are among the largest at the university, demonstrating her popularity among students. Moreover, the money she has brought to the university in research grants has exceeded her salary in each of the last two years.
Therefore, in consideration of Professor Thomas' demonstrated teaching and research abilities, we recommend that she receive a $10,000 raise and a promotion to Department Chairperson; without such a raise and promotion, we fear that Professor Thomas will leave Elm City University for another college."

在Thomas教授作为植物学教授的17年里，她证明了自己确实是值50000元年薪的。她的班级是本校最大的班级之一，这说明她在学生中间的受欢迎度。而且，她给学校带来的研究捐助在过去两年中都超过了她的年薪。因此，鉴于Thomas教授已被证实的教学和研究能力，我们建议将她的年薪增加10000元，并提升为系主任；如果没有这些加薪和提升，我们担心Thomas教授将会离开Elm City大学到别学校就职

In this report, the Committee on Faculty Promotion and Salaries suggests that in order to avoid Professor Thomas's job hopping, the Elm City University should not only enhance her salary to $50,000 but also promote her to Department Chairperson, due to the confirmed capacity in teaching and researching. To strengthen the suggestion, the committee also provide the evidence that Professor Thomas is popular with the students and she has brought excess money beyond her pay in the last two years. Close scrutiny reveals, however, that this evidence provides little credible support for the committee's suggestion.

In the first place, the mere fact that Professor Thomas educates one of the university's largest classes is not sufficient to prove that she is popular with the students. Perhaps, the students attending Professor Thomas's class are absolutely out of compulsion, in respect that the curriculum is possibly assigned as an required course.(被设为必修课) Therefore, they have no alternative but to take the integrant course no matter they like the professor or not. Or perhaps, there is an imbalance between the quantity of botanic teachers and the number of students in Elm City University, so every botanic teacher, including Professor Thomas, owns a big class. Since there are so many students interested in botany while limited botanic teachers, students do not have much choice but to attend the professor's class reluctantly. In either of the above cases, the large class, which Professor Thomas teaches, is meaningless to testify her popularity.

In the second place, even if Professor Thomas is fond of most of the students, the professor's popularity and the excess researching grants she has brought beyond her salary do not contribute to her competence in teaching and researching skills. In one hand, it is possible that Professor Thomas won her popularity for her beauty, (最新的科学动向) she has brought or her affection to the students rather than the teaching and researching skills. In another hand, although research grants that Professor Thomas has brought exceed her salary, maybe the amount is smaller than other teacher has brought correspondingly. For instance, the research grants that Professor Thomas has brought is ten (十倍的)ten times of her salary while it is general that most of the teacher would bring (100倍) 100 times.Then, how to define her teaching and researching competence? In short, without ruling out all these possible scenarios, the arguer cannot hastily conclude that Professor Thomas is capable in teaching and reaching attribute to her popularity and her exceed researching grants.

In the third place, even if the researching skills of Professor Thomas is outstanding, the author make an unwarranted assumption that had not Elm City University given a risen salary and a promotion to Professor Thomas, she would leave for other colleges. Firstly, perhaps Professor Thomas dedicates all her time to teaching and researching, thus have no surplus energy to deal with the daily affairs as Department Chairperson; or perhaps she is not adept in management. Secondly, even if Professor Thomas has managing ability, a university cannot attract preeminent professors just for the salary in high extreme nor the position it offers. What faculty concerns were the ranking title(排名), reputation, as well as the welfare. Assuming there are two universities, one ranking No.3 in city while the other is seated in a remote area ranking No.130, the fist provides $70,000 as a teacher and the latter provide $80,000 as the Department Chairperson, which you will choose? In my view, most people would prefer the citied one. Since it generally that a majority of people inclined to work in the circumstance that replete with cooperating and competing, which happen among members having the same interests. And usually a perfect academia is beneficial to provoke individual’s potential intellect and inspiration. Besides, it also contains more opportunities. Unless more substantiated evidence is furnished, the arguer’s afraid that Professor Thomas will leave Elm City University if no higher salary and promotion being offered is absolutely unnecessary.

In conclusion, the committee’s suggestion that to maintain Professor Thomas, Elm City University should enhance her salary and offer a promotion of Department Chairperson is not well supported.
To convince me that the suggestion will be effective, the committee must provide clear evidence that Professor Thomas is in possession of teaching and searching skills authentically; besides, the committee must make sure that whether Professor Thomas concerns about salary and promotion.  



[ 本帖最后由 merryjean 于 2007-1-21 14:22 编辑 ]

lalahUID: 2215160

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