Professor denied tenure by President Niemi, Board of Trustees

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST

By Dylan Pichnarcik

Associate Editor 

Computer Science Professor Mike Nourai was denied tenure upon the recommendation of President Nancy Niemi at a meeting of the Board of Trustees on Sept. 18.

In order to apply for tenure, an applicant must submit a portfolio for review. 

​A peer-evaluation committee composed of three faculty members reviews the applicant's portfolio and makes a recommendation for denial or further review.

Following the committee's recommendation, the applicant's portfolio is sent to the applicant's respective department chair, then the college dean, and then the University’s Committee on Tenure, according to Provost Kristen Porter-Utley.

​She said during the process, the tenure applicant and those involved in the selection process receive copies of every peer evaluation.

​After the applicant's portfolio and previous evaluations are reviewed by Porter-Utley, a recommendation is made by her, which is submitted to Niemi, according to Porter-Utley. 

Niemi then completes a final review and submits a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, she said. 

​Nourai was recommended to receive tenure by a peer-evaluation committee; the Chair of Computer Science, Satish Penmasta; STEM Dean Lauren Nolfo-Clements; and the Committee on Tenure, according to Benjamin Alberti, president of the Framingham State chapter of the Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA).

​During the public comment section of the Board of Trustees meeting, Alberti said he believes Nourai deserves tenure. Alberti added he has “struggled to understand how we got to this point.”

​Alberti said a “major concern” about Nourai’s tenure review was that the process was “unfair. The recommendation for denial is based on lack of evidence of scholarship.” 

​He said a “serious error” in Nourai’s tenure application review “created the impression that Mike [Nourai] is not serious about scholarship.”

​This error appeared in a letter sent to Porter-Utley by the Committee on Tenure, which claimed Nourai had no intention of publishing his research. The Committee on Tenure later updated its letter after reviewing meeting minutes, according to Alberti.

​“The error was later fixed, but the damage was perhaps already done,” he said.

​According to Alberti, there is no requirement for faculty to publish their research in the current MSCA contract.

The MSCA contract outlines scholarship as “contributions to the content of the discipline, participation in or contributions to professional societies and organizations, research as demonstrated by published or unpublished work (or, where applicable, artistic or other creative activities), or work toward the terminal degree or relevant post-graduate study.” 

Alberti said Nourai did intend to publish his research during an upcoming sabbatical.

​“Compounding this error, Mike [Nourai] was not given the proper chance to defend himself.

The initial denial was one line, no explanation, no details. He [Nourai] then had to make a defense of his scholarship, not knowing specifically what his offense was,” Alberti said.

​He said Niemi and Porter-Utley responded to Nourai’s appeal during his attempts to defend himself.

​“It’s supposed to be the other way around. That is, the mandated process was reversed, leaving Mike [Nourai] to defend himself blindly,” Alberti said.

​Additionally, Alberti said Niemi’s letter to the Board of Trustees with her recommendation for denial “contains a new, serious charge that Mike is claiming others' work as his own.”

​Alberti said he believes Nourai has not seen Niemi’s claim nor has had the chance to respond.

​In his closing statement, Alberti said he has heard “deep concern in the voices of faculty” who are “worried they are not publishing enough. All that wonderful service faculty and librarians do for FSU … is placed in jeopardy when people witness their colleagues lose their jobs for reasons of scholarship when they have contributed strongly to teaching and service.”

​A motion to approve Niemi’s recommendation that Nourai be denied tenure was made by Trustee Antonia Soares Thompson and seconded by Trustee Dennis Giombetti. The motion passed 3-0 with seven abstentions.

​Trustee Lino Covarrubias was not in attendance for the meeting and did not vote on the motion.

Immediately following the vote, Giombetti asked whether the motion passed as the total number of affirmative votes was smaller than the number of abstentions. 

Ann McDonald, secretary to the Board of Trustees and general counsel, said she would “look at that to verify” if the vote was valid.

A final decision was made a day later by McDonald that the vote was valid. 

Following the tenure vote, members of the University’s executive staff delivered divisional reports to the Trustees.

Jeffrey Coleman, vice president of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, said his division has created resources that focus on equity-driven and diverse recruitment as well as enhancing a sense of belonging among the FSU community. 

​Coleman said his division has also provided resources to the campus community that focus on “navigating the impact of the national landscape as it relates to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” 

​Eric Gustafson, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations, announced FSU has received a gift of over $2 million from Professor Emeritus Thomas Eames and his wife, Joan, to support the College of STEM.  

​A yearly allotment will be given to the College of STEM from the permanently endowed fund, Gustafson said.

​The first disbursement, totaling approximately $100,000, will occur in Fiscal Year 2027, according to an email sent by Niemi.

​In recognition of the gift, Gustafson asked the board to support the renaming of Hemenway Laboratories to Professor Thomas and Joan Eames Laboratories.

​According to Gustafson, the Board of Trustees' recommendation is necessary to send the change to the Board of Higher Education.

​A resolution to approve the name change was made by Chair Anthony Hubbard and passed unanimously.

During his report, Hubbard said he, along with Trustees Susan Puryear and Cherie Comeau, served on the Presidential Review Committee, which is tasked with reviewing Niemi’s performance over the last year.

​The committee reviewed input regarding Niemi’s performance as well as her self-assessment and her goals for the upcoming year.

​A full report was submitted to the board for review, which will also be submitted to the Board of Higher Education.

​A motion was made by Thompson to approve the submission of the report to the commissioner of the Board of Higher Education, and seconded by Trustee Mariel Freve.

​The motion passed unanimously.

​Robert Totino, vice president of Finance, Technology, and Administration, announced plans for an updated campus master plan. The last campus master plan was created in 2007.

​This will include future construction projects and renovations.

​A steering committee tasked with creating the master plan and selecting an architect has been meeting for approximately one year, according to Totino. This group is made up of faculty, staff, a student representative, and Trustee Giombetti. 

​The committee has also selected Boston-based Studio Enée from an approved list of architects from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, according to Totino.  

During her report, Niemi said she did not use the authority delegated to her by the Board of Trustees to make decisions on their behalf during their summer recess. 

Niemi said FSU has had a “really wonderful” start to the academic year. 

She said the University welcomed students back with a “Week of Welcome” focused on wellness activities. 

“Every constituent group I meet with and speak to says that they find that people are really engaged and really happy to be a part of the University.” 

At each meeting of the Board of Trustees, a student is recognized for outstanding academic and personal achievement. At this meeting, the Student in the Spotlight was Tharushi Fernado.

Fernado, a finance and economics double major, is an international student from Verona, Italy.

Fernado said she is currently a senior intern at the MetroWest Economic Research Center and has previously interned with the mayor of Framingham. 

In the future, Fernado said she hopes to become a financial analyst. 

During his first report as student trustee, senior Luke Yubeta announced 21 students are running for positions on the Student Government Association (SGA), including two students running for Vice President. 

According to Yubeta, the vice president position on SGA has not been a contested race in a number of years. 

Yubeta credited the increased student involvement to SGA President César Matos, who recently launched an engagement campaign. 

Additionally, Yubeta said the updated University involvement software “Ramlink” has supported an increase in student engagement.