To the Editor:
I used to work at a community college. Now that I work at a major research university, I've noticed that not all tenured research-university professors understand the environments of their colleagues at colleges that focus on teaching.
In "Stop Letting High-School Courses Count for College Credit"(The Chronicle, January 1), MichaelMendillo, of Boston University, shows a lack of knowledge concerning classrooms outside research institutions while critiquing the academic rigor of high-school Advanced Placement courses. He criticizes the courses for not being taught by faculty researchers. AP students, he says, "miss out on university-level introductions ... taught by active scholars in those areas."
This is a narrow view. First, most students today attend two- and four-year colleges, not research universities. Faculty members at most of these colleges focus on teaching and may not conduct research at all. Second, even at Big U schools, many—if not most—introductory sections are taught by nontenured faculty members who may not be researchers either. Third, even if the course is taught by an active researcher, many introductory sessions cram upward of 200 students into a single lecture hall.
Is Mr. Mendillo suggesting that the only worthwhile courses are those taught by research faculty? If he is, the many amazing teaching professors at my last institution would certainly take issue. The academy, after all, includes territory outside the Association of American Universities.
Brent Miller
Academic Program Specialist
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Fla.
