BY KELLY HAND

The AAUP’s national office is quieter than usual because many of our staff are at the University of New Hampshire in Durham for the AAUP/AAUP-CBC Summer Institute, which begins today. Over two hundred faculty and academic activists will gather for four days of workshops and special programs to build their skills as advocates for AAUP principles, collective bargaining, and higher education.

Academe’s managing editor, Michael Ferguson, is on-site to take photos at the Summer Institute. We’ll share a few early images in this blog post and promise to add many more (with people!) to our AAUP Flickr page later in the summer.

Those arriving by train in Durham have the opportunity to stop for delicious ice cream at the UNH Dairy Bar, which is located inside the historic train depot.

It’s a beautiful day on the UNH campus.

Participants staying on campus will check in at Mills Hall.

Participants will bring not only new advocacy and organizing skills back to their campuses, but also AAUP water bottles with special Summer Institute “koozies” (yes, that’s a word) and buttons celebrating our One Faculty, One Resistance campaign.

Of course Summer Institute is only Summer Institute once the people have arrived and the workshops and other activities begin. This year’s program includes a dynamic group of organizers, data analysts, seasoned campaigners, and issue experts, but the opportunity to connect and exchange ideas with colleagues from around the country is equally inspiring.

If you’re in Durham for Summer Institute, you can share your own photos on social media using the hashtag #AAUPSI. And if you’re not going this year, we hope you’ll be able to make it next summer!

This blog post is part of a series inviting AAUP members to write about their summer plans, challenges, and experiences. You can read about the series here. You can also read blog posts in the series by Summer Institute presenters Judy A. Van Wyk and Caprice Lawless.