GRE® argument essay: Recommendation letter for promotion

[Sprasad89]

The following appeared in a report of the Committee on Faculty Promotions and Salaries at Elm City University.

"During her 17 years as a professor of botany, Professor Thomas has proved herself to be well worth her annual salary of $50,000. Her classes are among the largest at the university, demonstrating her popularity among students. Moreover, the money she has brought to the university in research grants has exceeded her salary in each of the last two years. Therefore, in consideration of Professor Thomas' demonstrated teaching and research abilities, we recommend that she receive a $10,000 raise and a promotion to Department Chairperson; without such a raise and promotion, we fear that Professor Thomas will leave Elm City University for another college."

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.

This report, recommending the promotion of one Professor Thomas, cannot be made the basis for taking the decisions on promotions and the raise in the salaries. There are quite a few fallacies that need to be considered before such a recommendation can be implemented.

The fact that professor Thomas’ classes are the largest at the university does not necessarily mean that she is popular among students as suggested by the author. It might be because of the basic requirement of the program to attend her course or the course content itself might be interesting to the students regardless of her teaching abilities.

Also, the research grants she has brought into the university demonstrates her marketing capabilities in selling the idea of the research project to the sponsors and not her research abilities. She might be good at her work, but we have no convincing evidence to state the same.

One more point that needs to be considered is the pool of candidates who are eligible for promotion. If there is any other candidate who is worthy of the promotion more than Professor Thomas, then it would be unfair to promote her based on the presented data.

Even if we consider that Professor Thomas satisfies all the criteria for being promoted, the proposed rise in her salary needs adequate justification.

Lastly, the fear of losing the Professor from the faculty at the university is not based on facts but only on the author’s perception of the situation. The Professor has expressed no such views or hasn’t gone on record conveying her intentions.

The author of the report might be right in recommending the promotion of Professor Thomas. But he/she has to justify this by providing the data/figures to show Thomas’ qualifications and her academic abilities. Only then can this report receive some credibility.

[Kitosdad]

A very good summation Sprasad.
_________________
Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Writeletters07]

Nice post mate. Very good summary. Long but a useful read. Thanks again.

[Apologise To u]

argue 238

The following appeared in a memorandum from the president of Mira Vista College to the college's board of trustees. “At nearby Green Mountain College, which has more business courses and more job counselors than does Mira Vista College, 90 percent of last year's graduating seniors had job offers from prospective employers. But at Mira Vista College last year, only 70 percent of the seniors who informed the placement office that they would be seeking employment had found full-time jobs within three months after graduation, and only half of these graduates were employed in their major field of study. To help Mira Vista's graduates find employment, we must offer more courses in business and computer technology and hire additional job counselors to help students with their résumés and interviewing skills."

answer:
Giving some facts and analyses, the arguer alleges a connection between offering more business, computer courses and hiring additional job counselors with the percentage of the graduates receiving job offers. Although it is creditable on surface, further reflection will reveal the hidden flaws as follows in her/his reasoning.

To begin with, it is unfair to compare the percentage of having job offers in Green Mountain College, with the percentage of the full-time jobs in the Mira Vista College. It is entirely possible that the percent of the all kinds of job offers in Mira Vista College is larger than that in the Green Mountain College. Another problem with the comparison is that author supplies no information about the origin of these data. The job offer percentage of the Mira Vista College depends merely on the information seniors informed the placement office, on one can ensure these information covers all the graduates. Another problem with the data arguer provides, the second pair of data only collects the amount of receiving job offers within three months, while the time of the first data is not mentioned. In order to make this comparison more reasonable, arguer must accomplish the information about the data. Additionally, the statement that half of these Mira Vista College graduates were employed in their major field of study, is totally useless without mentioning the relationship between jobs and major field of Green Mountain University.

Deep down, even assumed that the job offer scale of the Green Mountain University is larger that in Mira Vista College, no evidence proves that the amount of the business courses and job counselors can contribute to the job searching. Perhaps other factors promote the chance of getting jobs in Green Mountain University, such as the location, the prosperous economy and more companies around this school. Whether it is sufficient for increasing employment to offer more courses in business and computer technology and hire additional job counselors is unknown. More detailed studies should be exerted to make it believable.

Furthermore, another threshold problem with the argument involves ignoring cost of the adjustment. If the loss overweighs the gain, the College had better remain the original. Some other elements of the College effects the percent of the employment, including the professors’ levels, the teaching equipment and the difference of the students.

Generally speaking, the arguer’s reasoning lacks sufficient evidence and well-rounded consideration as above. To further bolster it, the arguer should provide us more evidence to support the effects of the business courses and the job counselor to employment. Failing at these aspects, the arguer cannot persuade a powerful conclusion.