BY ELYSE CRYSTALL In my circle of family and friends in Brooklyn, the word chutzpah could indicate admiration for someone who asserted herself, spoke truth to power in spite of what others thought: “She had the chutzpah to challenge the senator’s policy on Medicaid expansion.” More often, however, chutzpah expressed disgust at a person who…
BY GREGORY SCHOLTZ The American Association of University Professors has authorized an investigation of the crisis in academic governance that has occurred in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on seven institutions: Canisius College (NY), Illinois Wesleyan University, Keuka College (NY), Marian University(WI), Medaille College (NY), National University (CA), and Wittenberg University…
BY HANK REICHMAN Responding earlier this month on this blog to an article by Professor Stephen Gavazzi, I noted the growing tendency of governing boards — and, in the public sector, legislatures and the governors who usually appoint those boards — “to tilt the scales against the faculty and, arguably, against the common interest of…
BY HANK REICHMAN Early today the following tweet from Professor Stephen Gavazzi, who teaches in the education school at Ohio State, came up on my Twitter timeline: A bit flattered to be asked my opinion, I quickly read the essay and concluded that given the restrictions of the Twitter format any response on that medium…
BY ALARMED FACULTY MEMBERS AT NATIONAL UNIVERSITY This spring and summer of COVID has witnessed a perhaps unprecedented assault on faculty rights, as institution after institution, claiming some sort of exigency, have laid off both contingent and tenured faculty members, restructured programs, and short-circuited established institutions of shared governance. In many cases the challenges are…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The document below, “Recommendations for UC Policing,” was approved by the Academic Council of the University of California (UC) system on June 24 and forwarded by Academic Council Chair Kum-Kum Bhavnani to UC President Janet Napolitano on June 29. In the UC system each of the ten campuses, known as divisions,…
BY THE COMMITTEE ON COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE The AAUP released today the following statement by the AAUP’s Committee on College and University Governance. In response to growing concern over unilateral actions taken by governing boards and administrations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee on College and University Governance affirms that the fundamental principles and…
BY CHAMPLAIN AND SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE AAUP CHAPTERS The Champlain and Saint Michael’s College AAUP chapters wrote a joint letter last week protesting the recent pay cuts to non-tenured faculty at the University of Vermont and in support of the UVM AAUP chapter, which is currently engaged in bargaining with the university administration. The letter,…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The following is an open letter sent by the members of the Wittenberg AAUP chapter to their university president. The Ohio Conference AAUP fully supports the chapter and their efforts to promote and enforce standards of shared governance. June 9, 2020 An Open Letter to the President, Provost, Board of…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH United Academics AAUP/AFT Local 4996 is calling for the immediate resignation of Jim Johnsen, President of the University of Alaska. All are invited to sign this petition regardless of United Academics affiliation so feel free to share this message with others. To sign the petition, please click here. Don’t delay .…