Aaron J. Barlow, 1951‒2021
BY MICHAEL FERGUSON With great sadness we note the death on January 11 of Aaron Barlow, who served as a contributing editor to this blog and was the faculty editor of Academe magazine from 2013 to 2018. A professor of English at New York City College of Technology, Aaron brought wide-ranging interests in new media,…
Colo. Community College Adjuncts May Receive Winter Break Unemployment Benefits for the First Time
BY CAPRICE LAWLESS Here is our press release, sent yesterday. It is good news for our 4,600+ adjunct colleagues, a salute to the years-long effort of AAUP Colorado Community College System (CCCS) chapter members and the Colorado Conference Executive Committee. Contact: AAUP Colo. Conf. Co-Presidents Caprice Lawless, coloradocaprice@gmail.com Steve Mumme, Stephen.mumme@colostate.edu Dec. 21, 2020 FOR…
Call for Proposals: 2021 AAUP Shared Governance Conference
BY MICHAEL DECESARE Please mark your calendars: the AAUP will hold its shared governance conference online June 14 through June 18, 2021, and we are now accepting proposals for paper presentations on topics relating to academic governance. In addition to paper presentations, the conference will include panels, plenary presentations, and workshops for current and future…
Another Challenge to Academic Freedom at Collin College
BY HANK REICHMAN Back in October when Lora Burnett, a history professor at Collin College in Texas, was hounded by internet trolls for a comment she made about Vice-President Mike Pence’s appearance during the vice-presidential debate, her administration buckled under the pressure and publicly denounced her, ignoring their own policy’s written commitment “to uphold vigorously…
Recommendations to the Biden Administration
BY IRENE MULVEY In a December 7 virtual listening session on higher education with the Biden-Harris transition team and other higher ed advocacy organizations, AAUP president Irene Mulvey delivered remarks about planning for a better future for higher education; supporting students, faculty, and staff; and repealing Trump administration policies. Thank you for inviting the AAUP…
Event: “When Did Tenured Faculty Give Up on Governance?”
POSTED BY JOHN K. WILSON Here is an event being held this afternoon by the AAUP’s University of Virginia chapter. In 2013, the AAUP issued a report on shared governance issues at the University of Virginia. The UVA Chapter of the American Association of University Professors presents: “When Did Tenured Faculty Give Up on Governance?…
A Telling Blame Game at UNC
BY JAY M. SMITH Last summer UNC–Chapel Hill became ground zero for COVID-19, setting off a prolonged exercise in blame-shifting. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences recently convened an emergency meeting of department chairs at which she announced the provost’s “disappointment” in the faculty. Specifically, university administrators are disappointed that so many…
Another Pandemic Danger—Union Busting
BY A SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY FACULTY MEMBER In the face of challenging and even perilous working conditions, teachers at all levels need unions to help protect them during the pandemic. However, one university in Florida used the pandemic as an opportunity for union busting. The story of the unilateral disenfranchisement of faculty members at Saint…
Scott Atlas, Stanford, and the Problem of the Hoover Institution
BY HANK REICHMAN On Monday, Stanford University issued the following statement concerning Trump adviser, “herd immunity” advocate, and Hoover Institution fellow Scott Atlas: The university has been asked to comment on recent statements made by Dr. Scott Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who is on leave of absence from that position. Stanford’s…