Several faculty members focused on that language, asking Lange what it meant in practice and wondering whether it was possible to make such a quantitative judgment about faculty quality.

But Lange said the language merely reflects the long-standing practice of the Appointments, Tenure and Promotions (APT) committee. Tenure decisions are based on making comparative judgments of the quality of the faculty members, Lange said, and the process is designed to allow the APT committee to look at the best information possible to make such a judgment.

Still, there were a number of concerns about what the language meant on issues such as the ability of faculty to do teaching and community and university service, tenure decisions on faculty conducting interdisciplinary research and how tenure decisions are affected by a faculty member's speciality.

One scenario presented to Lange involved a tenure decision on a faculty member who was doing research in a field of lesser interest to the department. How can the quality of that faculty member be compared to another faculty member who studies another area of the discipline?

Lange said under Duke's tenure rules, the faculty member's specialty comes into play only on decisions of external hires to tenure. It is not considered in decisions about internal faculty members seeking tenure.

"On tenure decisions [for internal candidates], issues of strategy, the collective good for the department are not permitted under our tenure standards," Lange said. "This is to protect the faculty member," from changing interests and needs within the department. "We don't want a situation when a young faculty member is told that he should concentrate on this area and then come up for tenure and find out the department is now interested in something else. So we don't consider it.

"It does come up in external appointments to tenure, when departments are making hires for specific purposes and strategic reasons."

Lange also said the APT process is doing a good job in considering the value of interdisciplinary research. "I would say this is not a concern at the APT level, which does a good job, but it is a concern at the level of the department. There we have had a hard time of figuring out the contributions of interdisciplinary research."

In addition to discussing tenure issues in the plan, Lange outlined several areas where the draft plan is being revised following a two-day retreat by the Board of Trustees.

The changes are not dramatic, Lange said. One is a revision of Part I of the document, which sets out the philosophy and mission of the planning effort. Much of the original Part I was based on "Shaping Our Future,"a planning document done shortly after President Nannerl O. Keohane was installed.

More significant changes involve the changing of goals on technology and student life and the addition of a new goal on collaborations in the Triangle.

Lange said the technology section will include more specific recommendations about supporting a computer infrastructure on campus, creating a new information sciences certificate program for undergraduates and encouraging technological innovation in the classroom, in research and elsewhere. One key recommendation under consideration is requiring undergraduates to have portable computers by fall 2002, Lange said.

The next version of the plan will be ready in time for the Feb. 15 Academic Council meeting, Lange said. A final version will be presented to the trustees later in February.