Maggie's Farm

On top of it all, the article tells us, the professor is blind, and yet despite his handicap he manages to teach a class that a number of his students rate pretty highly? C'mon, this guy must have something on the ball to get as far as he has.

There's no mention of how he was rated by other members of his department. In every university I know of, tenure decisions start not at the administrative level but at the departmental level with a detailed review of a candidate's dossier by a faculty committee. The committee forwards its recommendation to the school's administration, which typically rubber stamps whatever the departmental review committee recommends, unless the committee was closely divided on the question or the chairman of the department forwards an independent opinion that conflicts with the majority decision of the committee. If the faculty committee and the department chair agree in reaching a favorable decision on the candidate at the lower level, it would be highly unusual for a dean, provost, or president to overturn the department's recommendation. The granting of tenure should then be a slam dunk.