Granting tenure to college professors was originally designed to protect those with controversial views from being fired. But critics say tenure simply protects academics who get lazy and fail to do their job. There are calls to abandon the practice, and many colleges and universities, aware of the downside of offering tenure, are searching for alternatives.

Colleges are resorting to hiring part-time professors -- who are paid less and can be more easily dismissed. This trend is accelerating as the pool of potential college teachers is growing.

• In 1970, 22 percent of college teachers worked part time -- increasing to 41 percent by 1995.

• In the 1979-1980 academic year, 10,117 persons received Ph.D.s in the social sciences and humanities.

• But in 1994-95, this pool of potential professors grew by 11,684 new doctorates.

Boston University's School of Management gives its professors a choice of tenure or a ten-year contract with an 8 percent to 10 percent salary premium. Some tenure critics champion such contracts if they are accompanied by safeguards to protect academic freedom.

Free-market advocates point out that a talented professor who is wrongly dismissed will be snapped up by another college or university -- just as ordinary workers who are not subject to tenure or don't have employment contracts are today.