4-Day Workweek Bid Angers Professors

To the average working stiff, it seems like a modest proposal: Please come to the office four days a week. But such an idea has stirred up a commotion at Boston University, where faculty members traditionally keep their own hours.

“I don’t get paid for hanging around my office,” one incensed professor told the Chronicle of Higher Education. “I get pay increases for preparing for classes and because I publish books and articles and reviews.”

Boston University Provost Dennis Berkey is championing the get-tough effort, renewing debate over how--or even if--college administrators should measure faculty productivity.

Berkey’s proposals call for annual evaluations and performance targets, as well as the four-day-a-week work schedule. He wants to make sure professors don’t ignore their teaching or research duties once they’ve earned tenure. The proposals are undergoing faculty and administrative review.