Schneider focuses on Music History, Theory and Criticism, and he coaches students in Chamber Music. "I am happy about the decision and happy to be at the College," he said.
Assistant Professor of Music David Sawyer praised Schneider's promotion. "This is a wonderful moment for the department," he said. "[Schneider] brings tremendous skills as a performer and as a dedicated teacher, and also as somebody who has a long-term vision of music education."
Turgeon specializes in physiological psychology and neuroscience. A third-generation college professor whose father and uncle attended Amherst and whose grandfather taught French at the College, Turgeon hopes to take on more student projects on hormones and behavior.
"It's nice to have some freedom to try new things and experiment with new ideas in class," Turgeon said. "You feel you have a little more freedom to explore things that are a little more risky in terms of their payoff with regard to publication."
Caddeau expressed regret over the Committee's decision. "I am devastated," he said. "I believe I have effectively engaged, nurtured and challenged my students while sharing my knowledge of and passion for Japanese literature and culture. I only wish that all of my former students had been solicited for retrospective letters when my tenure dossier was compiled last summer. I was deeply disappointed to discover a few weeks ago that more than half of all the students I taught were not invited to weigh in on my tenure case. I fear, sadly, that the field of Asian studies is perhaps not properly understood and respected at Amherst."
The evaluation process leading up to tenure decisions scrutinizes the candidates on several fronts, according to Dean of the Faculty Gregory Call.
The Committee of Six settles for no less than excellence in each category. Professors are judged on three chief criteria-their teaching, scholarship and service.
Student end-of-semester evaluations and evaluative letters from colleagues comprise the teaching element of the assessment. The College hires six to 10 outside reviewers to evaluate each candidate's scholarship. Faculty members who served with the candidates on College committees measure the professor's contribution to the College and the Five College community. Seminar work also comprises a key portion of the service category.
The professor's senior department colleagues gather all the information and draft a letter to the Committee presenting a case for promotion. In order to achieve an even greater level of meticulousness in the evaluation process, the Committee asks each individual department colleague to write a letter of recommendation covering the candidate's performance in teaching, scholarship and service.
Six faculty members each serve two-year terms on the Committee of Six. Call and President Anthony Marx sit on the Committee but do not vote on tenure decisions.
"We have exceptionally high standards, as you would expect," Call said. "[The candidates] have to be exceptional. Even supreme excellence in one area wouldn't compensate for a case that lacked a little in another."