Alam Payind is director of Ohio State's Middle East Studies Center.       By Jo McCulty

In demand

Media, community seek Middle East Studies Center director's expertise

When a reporter recently called Alam Payind, director of Ohio State's Middle East Studies Center, to schedule an interview, he briskly gave a run-down of his itinerary the following Monday. He offered to devote a half-hour to the interview, tucked in between a departmental meeting and a lunch time visit to the Columbus Jewish Community Center to give a talk on Islam and terrorism.

When the interview took place, Payind carefully and thoroughly answered the questions posed to him. He provided the reporter with nearly an hour more of his time than originally promised, ending the interview only when he realized he would be late for the presentation he was giving at the community center.

As an internationally recognized expert on cultural and political affairs in the Middle East, and as a native of Afghanistan, Payind's expertise has been in high demand since the events of Sept. 11. He has been squeezing in numerous interviews and speaking engagements, giving interviews to media outlets such as the New York Times, National Public Radio and Voice of America (in English and Pashto), as well as giving talks and leading discussions at local and national venues.

"He does a lot of outreach programs," said Jennifer L. Nichols, assistant director of the Middle East Studies Center. "Everywhere he goes he represents Ohio State and the center, yet he does a lot of his outreach work on his personal time. He is quite an asset to the University."

Payind has worked for Ohio State for 18 years, and has served as director of the Middle East Studies Center since 1987. The center is one of four Title VI National Resource Centers at Ohio State, a designation which gives it elite national status as a leader in scholarship.

Prior to Sept. 11, Payind gave an average of 30 to 40 lectures, seminars, workshops and talks per year. Since Sept. 11, he has given at least 103.

"The venues are from a big auditorium at a major university, to a synagogue, church and a mosque," Payind said.

Previously, his presentations tended to be about Middle Eastern, Central Asian and South Asian political, social and cultural development.

"Since Sept. 11, most of the talks are on international terrorism; Middle Eastern politics; Islam and Islam's link with Judaism and Christianity; terrorism and suicide in Islam; and also a major focus is on Afghanistan. I've given a very significant number of talks on the history of Afghanistan, the ethnic composition of Afghanistan and the political developments in the past 25 years," Payind said.

Interest in the Middle East has always been steady, he said, but "incidences such as the horrendous acts on Sept. 11 really focused more people on the Middle East and Islam as issues."

Although he is a native of Afghanistan, and still has extended family there with whom he keeps in touch, he prefers to approach the topic at an academic level, rather than at a personal one.

"I often leave my personal and emotional opinions aside. I really compartmentalize my personal attachment with the scholarly approach to the discussion," he said.

Payind is a graduate of Kabul University with a degree in political science. He has an M.S. in higher education, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University.

Payind's Ohio State appointment is 50 percent with the Office of International Affairs (OIA) and 50 percent with the Office of International Education (OIE).

He is proud of both offices, and chooses to point out their accomplishments before speaking of the Middle East Studies Center.

"With the Office of International Affairs, we are in the top 10 of universities in terms of the number of Title VI National Resource Centers we have here. Our Office of International Education is No. 3 in the nation in terms of the number of foreign students studying here, for major state universities, and No. 7 overall," he said.

He credits the support of those offices as helping the center he oversees to be successful. "In the whole nation, there are only 14 Middle East Studies Centers designated by their peers and the U.S. Department of Education as a National Resource Center. We're in league with Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, UCLA and Berkeley," he said. "We have been the most consistently funded Title VI National Resource Center at Ohio State, for five cycles now."

In the current three-year cycle, Ohio State was awarded nearly $900,000 for the Middle East Studies Center. Funds support, among other things, course development, library acquisitions, outreach activities, travel and research expenses, and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, which fund advanced foreign language and area studies for graduate and professional students for academic year and summer fellowships.

Courses associated with the center, such as International Studies 245 and 645, Intro to Modern Middle East and Contemporary Issues in Modern Middle East, respectively, reach large numbers of undergraduate and graduate students, and have attracted long waiting lists. "If we can increase the number of TAs, we'd be able to take on more students," Payind said.

Outreach is central to the center's mission. Hosting junior high and high school teachers every summer for a crash course in Middle Eastern studies, making presentations at area schools and talking with civic groups are vital activities for the center, Payind said.

"When we go to a high school and give a lecture, there's a possibility that student will go to Ohio State. It's not only for information dissemination and promoting understanding, but it also is a recruiting device for us," Payind said.

"I'm probably one of the best examples of what outreach can do," said Nichols, who became assistant director of the center a year ago and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Arabic from Ohio State. Nichols began learning Arabic as a student at Worthington High School when Mahdi Alosh, associate professor of Near Eastern languages and cultures, taught Arabic at her school as an outreach project.

More than 40 scholars and professors are associated with the center. "We have a very active group of scholars teaching courses and doing research on different aspects of the Middle East," Payind said.

He prefers to spread the credit around for the center's achievements. "We take pride in our proposal writing and our National Resource Center status, but we firmly believe it is the strength of all our faculty members, the library resources and the University's institutional support which are key to our success," he said.

He is eager to continue moving forward.

"As far as the activity of the Middle East Studies Center, we have received good evaluations from our peers and from the U.S. Department of Education, but I'm still not satisfied. There is always room for improvement," he said.

Initiatives designed to attain Plan's promise

Initiatives that promote institutional flexibility in faculty staffing and probationary periods and a review of Ohio State's arts and sciences structure will allow the University to "accelerate the transformation necessary to attain the promise of the Academic Plan," according to Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray.

In a Jan. 10 speech to the University Senate, Ray announced plans to extend the probationary period for tenure-track faculty with patient clinical service responsibilities in the College of Medicine and Public Health, to create legislation enabling regular clinical faculty appointments outside of the health sciences, and to examine the organization of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences -- which represent the core of the University's undergraduate curriculum.

In a speech titled "Plans and Practices," Ray told the Senate he was asking governance leaders to "join the president and me in accepting a challenge to go beyond setting the stage for profound changes at this institution."

"I genuinely believe that if Ohio State is to become one of the world's truly great universities, we must begin to determine how to advance the position of the colleges within the arts and sciences in the University, to explore the use of clinical faculty appointments outside of the health sciences, and to increase the flexibility of the probationary period for faculty across the University," Ray said. "Each of these initiatives provides flexibility so that the different parts of the University can be stronger and can better meet their distinct missions."

The University has made genuine progress in addressing its most urgent needs under the guidance of the Academic Plan and Diversity Action Plan, Ray said, citing examples ranging from the $30 million gift to the Moritz College of Law and development of a budget system more closely aligned with academic aspirations to an upcoming comprehensive report on diversity activities and appointments of several academic leaders.

But along with noting accomplishments of the recent past, he said, Ohio State must be poised -- through pursuit of new organizational initiatives -- to be active in determining its own future.

Arts and Sciences

Ray announced that he will establish an ad hoc committee -- chaired by former Ohio State President Edward H. Jennings -- that will examine whether the colleges are configured and managed in ways that help strengthen the University's national standing. He asked the committee to offer a final set of recommendations by the end of autumn quarter 2002.

Five separate colleges are within the University's arts and sciences cluster -- Arts, Biological Sciences, Humanities, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences -- that were established in the mid-1960s. Ray said that though great strength exists within many disciplines in the colleges, "we have not taken maximum advantage of the synergies that can exist among those programs."

The ad hoc committee also will include at least one faculty member from each college drawn from a pool nominated by each college's dean and a number of faculty from outside the colleges. The group will be expected to conduct three levels of review and make recommendations regarding: the optimum configuration of the colleges; whether departments and programs within the colleges are appropriately assigned; and what authority should reside with the executive dean of the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, currently filled by one of the five arts and sciences deans.

Ray said he will submit committee recommendations to the faculty, chairs and deans of the colleges for consideration, review and appropriate action. "It will be the collective responsibility of the faculty of the arts and sciences to build upon the work of the ad hoc committee to create meaningful change in the organization, the operation and the opportunities of the arts and sciences," he said.

In the meantime, Ray asked Executive Dean Michael Hogan, dean of the College of Humanities, to convene his colleagues and take three preliminary actions:

• Create a strategic plan for the five colleges that will guide efforts to integrate and coordinate their budget decisions in alignment with the Academic Plan;

• Integrate and coordinate the curriculum of the five colleges to minimize any duplication and build upon work of the current committee analyzing the General Education Curriculum; and

• Work with Vice President for Development Jerry May to consolidate fund-raising for the colleges under the direction of the executive dean.

Clinical appointments

Ray called for governance leaders to continue to work with Barbara Snyder, vice provost for academic policy and human resources, to craft legislation that will enable the Senate to consider college proposals to make regular clinical, or professional practice, faculty appointments. Currently, several areas in the health sciences employ clinical instructors, whose appointments are non-tenure-track faculty positions and who are not able to participate in faculty governance at the University level.

The Fisher College of Business and Moritz College of Law have submitted proposals seeking authority to create such positions, but current rules allow clinical appointments only in the health sciences. Senate committees in recent months have been considering a proposed rule change that would permit colleges to seek approval through the Senate to make such appointments. The committees will work with the Office of Academic Affairs to refine any proposal before it would go before the full Senate for a vote.

Ray cited the housing and legislative clinics in Moritz College as examples of how the entire University could benefit by extending the appointment of clinical faculty outside of the health sciences. The housing clinic assists students living off campus and the legislative clinic provides Ohio legislators with research on the impact that proposed legislation for Ohio has had in other states in which such laws are already in place.

"The market for the best and brightest faculty to staff such clinics is national in scope, and our ability to attract the best colleagues here depends, in part, on whether we can offer them clinical faculty appointments," Ray said. "It seems to me that the ability to compete nationally for the best people under appropriate constraints would be a great benefit to the quality of our clinic programs, to the legislators that we advise, and especially to the students who have these exceptional learning experiences."

Probationary period

Ray also announced that he has accepted a proposal from the College of Medicine and Public Health to extend the probationary period for faculty with patient clinical service responsibilities, so that the mandatory review year will now come in the 11th year instead of the sixth, the current standard tenure review year across the University. Faculty with patient clinical service responsibilities represent about 60 percent of the regular faculty in the College of Medicine and Public Health.

In making the announcement, Ray cited statistics demonstrating that 37 of the top 50 medical institutions ranked by U.S. News & World Report have longer probationary periods for faculty with patient care responsibilities than Ohio State has.

See the accompanying story for more details on Ray's acceptance of the college's proposal.

The full text of Ray's speech is available on the Web at http://oaa.ohio-state.edu/speeches/01_2002.html.

Probationary period extended for many medical faculty

Almost a year of college- and institution-level deliberation has resulted in an extension of the probationary period from a maximum of six to 11 years for tenure-track faculty with patient care responsibilities in the College of Medicine and Public Health.

The extension was granted by Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray on Jan. 10, and explained by Ray in a speech delivered that day to the University Senate and in a more detailed memo to the Senate, as well.

Acknowledging that the decision -- based on the exceptions clause of Chapter 47 of the faculty rules and without calling for a separate vote of the University Senate -- would be considered controversial by some, Ray said he approved the college's request for the change in tenure procedures "with a great deal of forethought and after extensive consultation" and "because I believe that it is the right [decision] for The Ohio State University and for our College of Medicine and Public Health."

He also noted that he based his decision to grant the extension on an opinion from the University's legal counsel that the faculty rules give him the authority as provost to approve the request after consultation with the Senate's Rules Committee. Ray said that creating another step to the approval process, however appealing to some, would have been at variance with the rules approved by the Senate and adopted by the Board of Trustees in 1996. In the end, Ray followed the existing rules to make his decision.

Striking a balance

Beyond the issue of process, Ray emphasized, was the substance of the proposal, designed to balance the workload realities and academic integrity of a college in which most faculty combine teaching, research and service -- activities that determine their eligibility for tenure -- with careers as practicing physicians.

"The College of Medicine and Public Health has made a case that it needs greater flexibility in the probationary period to compete for regular faculty," Ray said. "The most compelling element of the case is that tenure track faculty with patient clinical responsibilities, which includes almost 60 percent of the regular faculty in the college, generally have patient care and service responsibilities that demand an average 10 to 40 hours per week of their time.

"As the college continues to raise its performance expectations for tenure and promotion, there is a genuine concern that the tenured ranks of the regular faculty with patient clinical service responsibilities will shrink dramatically, and yet, such faculty members are the key to the future excellence of the college."

Among the top 50 institutions as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, Ray continued, 37 have probationary periods for regular faculty with patient care responsibilities that exceed Ohio State's rule that mandates tenure review take place in the sixth year of a faculty member's career.

Under the extension, only faculty with patient care responsibilities will receive the longer probationary period -- which is determined as the maximum probationary period, meaning faculty may request a tenure review before their 11th year at Ohio State.

The college initially requested the extension for all faculty, including basic research faculty who do not care for patients. However, after discussion with Rules Committee members, Ray requested a revised proposal seeking extension of the probationary period only for faculty who care for patients. He received the revised proposal on Jan. 3. The college also sought permission to allow promotion to associate professor without tenure when unusual circumstances merit such action to reward and retain highly promising and productive assistant professors. Ray approved this request, as well.

Faculty rules

The process by which Ray arrived at his decision -- despite the legal opinion that he has authority to make that decision -- has been under scrutiny.

Chapter 47 of the faculty rules governs faculty appointments and reappointments, promotion and tenure. The chapter includes an "exceptions rule" (3335-47-02 (E)), a portion of which reads: "An academic unit that believes there is a reason for the unit to have policies and procedures differing from those set forth in this chapter may petition the office of academic affairs through the dean of the college and must set forth a rationale for why approval of the request is in the best interests of the unit and of the university. The office of academic affairs will consult with the rules committee or its designee in considering such petitions."

Ray did consult with the Rules Committee, whose members advised him that they did not believe the rule should be interpreted as permitting him to make the decision about lengthening the probationary period for medical faculty. In fact, the committee voted 9-0 "that the exception clause should not be applied" to the college's proposal and recommended that it be taken forward as a rule change to the full Senate. There is no approved language in the faculty rules that requires or suggests that step.

Susan Fisher, secretary of the University Senate and a longtime governance leader, told Ray that she had consulted the three faculty members who had drafted the revisions to Chapter 47 in the mid-1990s, and was told that the exceptions rule was not intended to give the provost authority to grant petitions for variances from the rules on tenure and promotion outlined in the rest of Chapter 47. Rather, she said, the exceptions were to be limited to Appointment, Promotion and Tenure documents as defined in 47-02 (E).

Ray said that though he understood the argument in favor of subjecting the proposal to a full Senate vote, "I honestly believe that it is not the principled and responsible thing for me to do. Our colleagues in Medicine and Public Health have done everything asked of them to bring this proposal forward following the rules of Chapter 47, which were designed to empower faculty to take greater local control of their governance.

"I cannot in good conscience walk away from making the decision that is required of me."

Ray had been advised by John Biancamano, associate general counsel, that the exceptions rule "is clear in giving me the authority to make a decision on the proposal, after consultation with the Rules Committee."

"There is no requirement in the rule for a formal vote of the Faculty Senate," Biancamano said in a written opinion.

Ray added that he consulted with President Brit Kirwan, Senate leaders, executive deans, student leaders and all senators from the College of Medicine and Public Health. "I have received numerous e-mail messages and letters from faculty members in COMPH as well as other colleges; most of those messages urged me to approve the petition," Ray wrote in his memo to Senate.

The future

Ray encouraged the Senate to "foster a thoughtful community debate regarding the need for greater flexibility in the probationary period throughout the University and consider the adoption of additional rules. If the existing rule can be improved, we will all benefit from it in the years to come."

Ray said he would not favor a "piecemeal" approach to extending probationary periods in other units in the University, and said no other units have made such proposals. He stated that he would not take further action on the issue in the next year to ensure that a broad discussion on the probationary period could occur on campus. In his memo to the Senate, Ray further noted that the time is right to discuss the appropriate length of the standard six-year probationary period, which dates to 1940.

The exceptions rule in question already is the subject of review by the Rules Committee. On Jan. 17, the Senate's Faculty Council voted 35-8 to recommend that the Rules Committee move to restrict the exceptions clause to apply only to Appointment, Promotion and Tenure documents. Senate Secretary Fisher said the committee may consider a second exception mechanism to parts of the rule outside of that portion of the chapter, which would require broader input. She said the provost's request for flexibility in the probationary period outside the College of Medicine and Public Health can best be achieved by amending another part of the chapter -- Rule 3335-47-03 -- if, after a thorough vetting of the issue by faculty across the University, this flexibility is deemed desirable.

Faculty Council also held a lengthy discussion on the process by which the probationary period was extended -- while seeking to avoid judging the merits of the extension itself. The council voted 32-9 in favor of a resolution with respect to the recent interpretation of the rules in which it expressed its members' "deep disappointment at the regrettable and inappropriate departure from the covenant of shared governance that is the mark of a great university."

The full text of Ray's memo is online at http://oaa.ohio-state.edu/speeches/01_2002.html#memorandum.