Gerber Receives Tenure but Not at Lehman College

A Lehman College student leader in a fight to assure tenure for a faculty member who teaches Jewish courses at the City University college has confirmed reports that tenure had been granted to Dr. Jane Gerber but not at Lehman College.

When Leonard Lief, Lehman president, indicated earlier this year that tenure would not be granted to Gerber, a decision which meant she would be dropped from the Lehman faculty at the end of the school year in June, members of an Ad Hoc Jewish Action Coalition (JAC) staged an overnight sit-in at Lief’s office on March 23 and then delivered an ultimatum to CUNY Chancellor Robert Kibbee the next day warning that a boycott of the entire CUNY system would be organized if Gerber was refused tenure.

Sandi Goodman, chairperson of the JAC, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Gerber received last Monday a written agreement to give her tenure but it will be tenure as a faculty member at the CUNY Graduate School and not at Lehman. Goodman said Gerber will not be able to continue teaching all of her present four Judaica courses at Lehman because she will also be teaching at the Graduate School. Gerber will complete the required five years of teaching for tenure at the end of the current school year and the tenure arrangement will become effective next September, Goodman said.

She said that, as she understood the matter, Gerber will join the Graduate School faculty in September and continue to teach Judaica courses at Lehman but she will have to drop one or more of the four courses. Goodman said Gerber had told her she did not know how many courses she will teach at Lehman during the 1977-78 academic year or what courses she will be teaching at the Graduate School, which does not offer any Judaica courses.

Goodman also said that while Gerber had signed a settlement agreement with Lief last Friday, formalizing the arrangement, the fact that Gerber had no tenure at Lehman left the possibility that Lief, who has opposed Gerber’s courses, may be able to prevent Gerber from continuing her Judaica courses at Lehman after the coming academic year. The JAC comprises members of Hillel, Yavneh, the Jewish Students Union and other campus groups. Asked whether the JAC would now be dissolved, Goodman said the JAC planned to register as a permanent group with the goal of stimulating other Jewish groups to more effective action “for Jewish life” on the campus.