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Welcome to Akron-AAUPThe AAUP Association of State Conferences' 2008 Outstanding Chapter Website |
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"To investigate truth; critically verify fact; to reach conclusions by means of the best methods at command, untrammeled by external fear or favor, to communicate this truth to the student: this is precisely the aim and object of the university. To aim a blow at any one of these operations is to deal a vital wound to the university itself" John Dewey, Co-founder AAUP News from the 2008 Summer Institute: Your AAUP chapter is held in high regard by faculty, and even by administrators, at other institutions. The developing relationship between UA faculty and administration remains a subject of close attention and great interest to the entire academic community of the U.S. From the May 2009 Akron-AAUP Newsletter "...University of Akron trustees have created yet another new vice president position, at a cost of $142,000...(Scott) Borgemenke's broad job description calls for him to develop 'innovative solutions to challenging problems' in budgeting and financing. Borgemenke is commuting from his home in Dublin, a Columbus suburb." "...Simultaneous with the President’s $85,000 bonus, the new $142,000 VP position, the $25,000-plus-expenses consultant, and so on, the administration has asked all departments to plan to cut 10% from their operating budgets. Many departments have no fat to cut, and so any budget cuts will negatively impact their missions. " "...While Akron-AAUP can understand the need for budget cuts if state funding is severely reduced, we would expect such cuts to be shared by the administration. But the administration’s recent spending habits seem to indicate that there is plenty of money available for their priorities. This summer, economist Rudy Fichtenbaum of Wright State University will once again go over the university’s audited financial statements with a fine tooth comb, to analyze exactly where all the money is going. Rudy performed this service for us during negotiations for our last contract, and it was very revealing. We will publicize the results of this investigation in the Fall." Read the entire issue here. UA in the News: FYI University of Akron Hires Longtime GOP Consultant Akron Beacon Journal 4/15/2009 "University of Akron trustees have hired a longtime Republican consultant to fill a newly created position: associate vice president of strategy and finance. Scott Borgemenke, 43, was named to the new post March 25 at a salary of $142,000. He started his new job March 30." Read the entire article at Ohio.com, the Akron Beacon Journal web site, here. Clueless on Campus: a UA lesson in how not to win enough friends at the Statehouse Akron Beacon Journal 4/17/2009 "...Ohio already has many university officials with six-figure salaries, not to mention the nation's highest paid university president, Gordon Gee at Ohio State, at more than $800,000 a year..." Read the entire article at Ohio.com, the Akron Beacon Journal web site, here. UA Pact Costing $25,000 Unusual in State: Cleveland State Says Consultant Not Needed Akron Beacon Journal 4/11/2009 "The University of Akron is paying a consultant $25,000 a year to improve the executive and leadership skills of President Luis Proenza and other top managers. Frank T. Grosser of FTGExecutive Group Inc. in Deerfield, Ill., provides customized coaching under the terms of an agreement that might be the only one of its kind among state universities in Ohio. The agreement was first signed in April 2004 and has been renewed yearly." Read the entire article at Ohio.com, the Akron Beacon Journal web site, here. Akron-AAUP Election Results: Professor Walter Hixson has been elected to the office of Chapter President. Professor Karen Lahey has been elected to the office of Chapter Vice-President. Prior to the election they each provided a candidate statement, both of which are still available here. Congratulations to Walter and Karen; and thanks to Jennifer Holz and Pat Parr for their selfless service in these positions for the last two years. Well done! From the Current Newsletter: President Proenza Receives $85,000 “Performance Award” (not “bonus”): In case you missed the story over Spring Break (Akron Beacon Journal, 3/14/09), University of Akron trustees have rewarded President Proenza with $85,000 in “performance payments” that brought his current compensation to $535,000. Trustee President Philip Kaufmann said he preferred to call the awards ''performance payments'' instead of bonuses, as the latter sounds more ''willy-nilly, while these are part of the contract.'' More... Akron-AAUP’s lawyer is “Ohio Super Lawyer”: We thought our members might like to know that our own lawyer, Eben “Sandy” McNair, has been on the list of “Ohio Super Lawyers” every year since 2004, one year after the start of this prestigious list. The objective of the Super Lawyers selection process is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist attorneys and consumers in the search for legal counsel. No other legal publisher goes through the unique multi-step process that Super Lawyers employs to find evidence of peer recognition and professional achievement. We already knew Sandy was the best; it is gratifying to see that he is nationally recognized. For more information on the list: http://www.superlawyers.com/index.html Read the entire issue here. Browse our back issues here. From the February Newsletter: Faculty Development Grants via ITL:
We want
to remind faculty that as a result of the settlement of the grievance over
delayed salary implementation, the university administration created a fund
for faculty to support improvements in teaching and learning. Last year
faculty hired as of 2006 could receive a $100 grant for teaching related
materials. From January 2009 until December 15, 2009, all
bargaining unit faculty (even those just hired this year) will be eligible
to apply for grants of up to $400 from the remaining funds. There is
still a pool of money to be distributed. People who have already received a
grant need to wait one year before re-applying. Dr. Helen Qammar, the
Director of ITL, notes that faculty from the same department can combine
their $400 awards as long as there is relevant rationale. She suggests that
it is helpful if they write the benefits to the teaching mission and/or
students in their rationale. They should not present reasons that describe
improving research capabilities, as the grant is to support teaching and
learning.
This is your money, so we encourage you to apply for eligible support. The remaining funds will be distributed in the order in which proposals are received. To read the guidelines and get the application form, see here and then send your application to Dr. Qammar. Akron-AAUP Challenges Council of Deans Scheduling Policy: From the February Newsletter
The Akron-AAUP is notifying the university administration that it believes that
the proposed unilateral changes in scheduling in the new Council of Deans policy
violate the contract, the university rules, and possibly state law. Therefore,
we have asked to negotiate over this proposed policy, as is our right. Over and
above the implications for the contract, the proposed changes can have
unintended consequences and a deleterious effect on students' timely completion The Administrative Role in RTP Guidelines Revision: This is a matter for your undivided attention. When the administration and the Akron-AAUP finally agreed on the collective bargaining contract, the general procedures for Retention, Tenure and Promotion were legally set out in Article 13. The Provost's office, under Provost Hickey, had asked for and received revisions of RTP guidelines from departments around campus prior to contract ratification. To complete contract implementation on this issue, each department must review the RTP guidelines they now have in place, and make any modifications necessary to comply with the contract. Faculty need to ensure that the guidelines do not contradict the language in the contract. This is a fairly straightforward and simple matter that will likely not entail substantial changes to existing guidelines. Nonetheless, there have been concerns raised from faculty across the campus that the administration at different levels has been mandating substantive changes in departmental RTP guidelines as a condition of post-contract approval. If so, it is the position of Akron-AAUP that faculty should resist this and contact the Akron-AAUP Executive Committee to share the particulars. Akron-AAUP would remind faculty that the contract is specific on this matter, and states that writing RTP guidelines, and making revisions to them, is a faculty-driven process (see Article 13, Sections 3 D-G). While the administration may make suggestions to faculty about what it believes would be improvements in the guidelines, faculty are under no obligation to accept those suggestions. The administration and the faculty have a right to expect sensible changes to RTP guidelines to bring them in line with contract language - period. Substantive requirements for RTP are a matter for the faculty in each discipline to decide according to the contract. If anyone other than departmental faculty, at any administrative level, attempts to mandate substantive changes in guidelines as a condition for approval of your RTP revisions, the Akron-AAUP believes that they are violating the contract and overstepping their bounds. Administrators may make suggestions - even substantial ones, but they cannot mandate them. Further, we ask you to notify your departmental liaison of any such mandated changes, if you receive them in your department. Liaisons should then contact any Chapter officer with details. From the January 2009 Newsletter A Note From AAUP General Secretary Gary Rhoades Read more here The dramatic downturn in the national economy is leading college and university administrations to reorganize and eliminate academic programs in the name of increased “efficiency,” often with little semblance of shared governance. There are good empirical reasons to doubt the material benefits and savings of such efforts. Moreover, the condition of the economy is leading some administrators to edge toward invoking some variation of financial exigency.
There are good empirical
reasons to be skeptical about most such claims. We can anticipate layoffs,
particularly of contingent faculty, with too little consideration of
alternatives and too little adherence to layoff language in handbooks and
contracts. There are good empirical reasons to uphold and expand the due process
right of contingent faculty. Our colleagues in collective bargaining settings
can anticipate administrations wanting to renegotiate compensation and other
provisions. There are good empirical reasons to mobilize against such efforts.
The inquiries are already flowing into our national office—in the past few
months, the flow has increased noticeably over the thousands of inquiries that
come in a typical year. Victory on Behalf of South African Scholar from AAUP Online news room
On
Monday, December 8, a federal district judge
in Massachusetts handed the AAUP a victory
in its litigation on behalf of South African
scholar and human rights official Adam Habib.
Professor Habib, who holds a Ph.D. from
CUNY, was invited to the United States in
October 2006 to address audiences at
Columbia University and the World Bank,
among others. On his way in to the country,
however, he was stopped at JFK airport and
interrogated before finally being sent back
to South Africa. His visa, along with those
of his wife and two young children, were
subsequently revoked; he subsequently
applied for a new visa to enable him to
fulfill a speaking engagement with the
American Sociological Association.
After the government failed to act on his visa application, the AAUP filed suit in September 2007, along with the American Sociological Association, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, and Professor Habib himself, all represented by the ACLU. The lawsuit argued that Professor Habib’s exclusion from this country without explanation violated the First Amendment rights of the plaintiffs and their members, and asked that his visa be processed immediately. One month later, the American consul in South Africa sent Professor Habib a letter informing him that he was inadmissible under a section of the USA Patriot Act that empowers the government to exclude an alien who has “engaged in terrorism.” The government provided no evidence supporting its conclusion. The government then asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that courts do not have the authority to review consular visa denials, even where the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens and residents are involved. In its decision yesterday, the judge roundly rejected the government’s argument that courts are prohibited from reviewing visa denial decisions where Americans’ First Amendment rights are implicated. As the judge noted, courts have, at a minimum, the power to determine whether a visa was denied “on the basis of a facially legitimate and bona fide reason.” The judge also rebuffed the government’s argument that where no reason at all is offered for a visa denial, no review is permitted. “The incentive [that the government’s] proposed interpretation would give the government would be perverse: better to give no reason for a denial so that it would be unreviewable than to give a reason and be second-guessed by a court.” The court therefore denied the government’s motion to dismiss the case. The AAUP and its fellow plaintiffs had also moved for summary judgment; the court stayed that motion so that both parties can engage in factual discovery before trial. Please stay tuned for further developments in this important case. For additional information, see the AAUP's amicus briefs; in addition, see the ACLU’s webpage on ideological exclusion.
Key Win For Scholar Kept Out of the U.S. from Inside Higher Ed online Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. ruled that the First Amendment requires the government to provide a valid and substantiated reason for barring Habib from the United States, when there are groups here that want to meet with him. The decision said that “the government has not given a reason for the denial,” and that simply stating that he is banned because he has “engaged in terrorist activities” — without specifying them in a credible way — isn’t good enough. Habib is a leading sociologist in South Africa and is currently deputy vice chancellor of research, innovation and advancement at the University of Johannesburg. He has been denied visas that would have been needed for him to accept invitations to speak at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association and to other groups. From the December Issue of the Akron-AAUP Newsletter The Campus Safety committee, with an Akron-AAUP representative, has been looking at various ways of making the UA campus safer. While most of the ideas being considered are reasonable and constructive, there are concerns. The University is proposing to conduct criminal, financial, reference, and other background checks on every new faculty and staff hire. This would be regardless of their duties or responsibilities, and whether any of these are sensitive. The Akron-AAUP has at least two thoughts on this, and we’d like to know yours as well....More here. Third Year of Enrollment Bonus for Bargaining Unit Faculty: About 700 faculty in the Akron-AAUP collective bargaining unit should receive an enrollment bonus check for $750 (minus the necessary deductions) next Spring in their April paycheck...This bonus alone represents nearly half a million dollars that Akron-AAUP’s negotiating team guaranteed for our faculty. We hope that some of you who have yet to join the Akron-AAUP will use this opportunity to take that modest, extra step in supporting our chapter’s efforts. More here. From the November Issue of the Akron-AAUP Newsletter University of Akron VP on Part Time Faculty: As reported in Inside Higher Ed, UA's own A. G. Monaco, VP for Human Resources, made quite a splash at the recent College and University Professional Association - Human Resources (CUPA-HR) annual conference. In an article titled Call to Arms for Adjuncts...From an Administrator (10/14/08), Monaco is quoted as saying that universities, in effect, immorally take advantage of their adjunct or part-time faculty, possibly at their peril. According to Monaco, the abuse (low wages, no benefits, etc.) could lead adjunct or part-time faculty to unionize, which he says would be quite bad. While Monaco seems to be encouraging universities to do the right thing, he also is quoted as saying that he knows how to "brutalize" part-time faculty if asked to do so. While Ohio's collective bargaining statute (ORC 4117) does not permit graduate assistants or part-time faculty to seek collective bargaining under that statute, Monaco's comments do suggest some action. Now that he is the VP for Human Resources, part-time faculty might consider asking the university to provide some of the pay and benefits parity, with full-time faculty, that Monaco suggests is only fair. With no contractual obligations to stop him, it should be clear sailing for Monaco to do what he says is the morally right thing. Read the entire November issue of the newsletter here. AAUP In Cincinnati: A Strike is Avoided and Tenure Protected An Example of the Value of Faculty Resolve and Preparedness From the AAUP Online Newsletter AAUP members’ preparedness and resolve have once again saved the day, averting a strike and protecting tenure. This October, the 177 members of the Cincinnati State Technical and Community College chapter of the AAUP won their contract campaign when an imminent strike forced the administration back to the bargaining table. The AAUP’s Collective Bargaining Congress had pledged money from its emergency fund to help chapter members who might face financial hardship during an extended walkout, when the administration, faced with the prospect of a strike right at the end of the college’s early fall term, reluctantly returned to the bargaining table. Backed by a united faculty and the CBC, the chapter’s bargaining team successfully defeated a proposal to limit tenure and made substantial contractual gains. The chapter’s contract expired on September 1, shortly after the two parties reached an impasse over the administration’s continued delay of progress towards workload and salary agreements. At issue was the administration’s proposal to effectively end the future of tenure at the college by making all new faculty positions non-tenure-track, with the exception of the first professor hired for any new program, a move to weaken faculty governance and upend academic freedom. The administration also refused to consider the union’s proposed salary increase. When a fact-finder’s contract proposal still threatened the existence of tenure at the college, the Cincinnati State AAUP members rejected it and voted on October 15 to strike beginning October 27 if a contract settlement was not reached by then. The strike plans brought the administration back to the table, and after another week of intense negotiations, the two sides reached a tentative agreement late on the night of Friday, October 24. Union members ratified the contract the next day by an overwhelming majority. The contract includes a ten percent pay increase over three years, a one-time lump sum payment to all members, and a reduction in workload. More significantly, the administration agreed to drop its proposal to limit tenure, proving once again that collective bargaining is an effective tool for preserving and protecting academic freedom and tenure. AAUP Legislative Alert: Border Searches of Electronic Materials From The AAUP Online Member Newsletter, October 14, 2008 By Cary Nelson, President, AAUP National and Nicole Byrd, AAUP Government Relations Associate "...In July 2008, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that its internal policies no longer require any suspicion of illegal activity to search and seize travelers’ materials. While privacy issues are everyone’s concern, and all citizens should actively defend their civil liberties, faculty members have particular areas of concern about this policy due to their research and collaboration with colleagues around the world..." Read the entire article here. RTP Guidelines: Grievance Filed Akron-AAUP filed a grievance against the administration this summer because of the administration’s denial of the Philosophy department faculty’s RTP guidelines. The contract states that RTP guidelines should be “faculty driven." We encourage other departmental faculty, who may receive similar rejections, to contact the Akron-AAUP and not to acquiesce to unreasonable limitations on faculty rights. A More Complete Assessment of UA’s Accreditation Report For a printable copy of this item click here. In the August 12 Email Digest, the UA administration shared the results of the final report issued by the review team. Akron-AAUP would like to give you a fuller picture of the HLC’s concerns and recommendations. More here.
Administration Fails at Shared Governance Opportunity
…Again The Akron-AAUP has
filed a grievance over the recent and unilateral changes made to
parking on campus. The larger issue here is the continued refusal of the university administration to acknowledge existing and mutually-agreed-upon shared governance mechanisms in order to place the university's revenue generating priorities ahead of those of 20,000-plus commuters, faculty and staff. We'll remind faculty that an underlying cause of our unionization was precisely this sort of deliberate failures in shared governance. If you are puzzled or concerned about these decisions, you could contact John Case, who chaired the original Parking Task Force, and Jim Stafford, the head of Parking Services. Otherwise follow along on the process of the grievance. At the June Meeting of the Assembly of State Conferences your Akron-AAUP received a national award for Outstanding Chapter Website. We shared this honor with colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is truly a group effort, so congratulations to all! Of course, this means it's time for cleanup and extensive revisions. Your web team will gladly receive suggestions as well as all offers of help. UA Faculty at the 2008 AUUP Summer Institute in Kingston, RI Last year the chapter funded three faculty members to go to Reno, Nevada for three days of intensive training and focused workshops at the annual AAUP Summer Institute. This year Akron-AAUP was well represented again with 8 members of the faculty in attendance at The University of Rhode Island at Kingston. In addition to attending some informative sessions on the history of AAUP, government relations, trends in faculty status, etc., your colleagues participated in rigorous training workshops on Contract Negotiations and Grievance Procedures. Professors Aby and Witt lead a workshop on Communications and Public Relations Campaigns. Professor Lyons lead a workshop on Conflict Resolution. Though training sessions can be rigorous the Institute is by no means 'all work and no play.' Friday evening featured an old-fashioned New England clam bake. Saturday evening presented the option of a ferry ride to Newport for a little touring and dinner, or a bus tour of Newport mansions.
Robbie, our Bake Master
Newport, Rhode Island The Summer Institute is educational, inspirational and is a great opportunity to learn from and share experience with issues common to faculty across the country. We recommend the Summer Institute to all. By the way, your AAUP chapter is held in high regard by faculty, and even by administrators, at other institutions. The developing relationship between UA faculty and administration remains a subject of close attention and great interest to the entire academic community of the U.S. We find this gratifying, indeed. And, From the 2007 Institute: Academic Freedom Last year's Institute opened with a session on "Academic Freedom and the First Amendment" presented by Rachel Levinson, Senior Counsel for the National AAUP. With Rachel's kind permission we post for your perusal a copy of the notes distributed to all who attended. You can get a copy here. It's worth a look. The Market Salary Adjustment Process A number of departments are making market based salary adjustments as called for in the collective bargaining agreement. Here are links to three PDF documents which faculty in those departments may find useful. 1) An Overview of The 2006-07 Market Salary Adjustment Process 2) Instructions for Market Compression Adjustments Effective 2006 3) Contract Article 16, Section 9 "Market Adjustment" Administrators with questions should contact Chand Midha at cmidha@uakron.edu. Bargaining unit faculty with questions should contact Mike Cheung at cheung@uakron.edu. AAUP-KSU Reaches Tentative Agreement Colleagues at Kent State University report that the KSU chapter of AAUP has reached a tentative agreement with administration on the terms of a new contract which, if approved, will extend through August 2011. The agreement, reached just hours before a faculty strike vote was to be taken, includes: - a more than 13.5% salary increase over the life of the contract - domestic partner benefits - improvements in dental coverage - a freeze on faculty contributions to health care coverage until 2010 The faculty rejected a previous university offer of a one year contract extension. Negotiations began May 29 and concluded August 1. Once Kent's CBA is approved we'll post it here for interested parties to review. For details, consult the AAUP-KSU web site here. |
Information for New Faculty Here. Faculty Development Grants From ITL: Here. Current Contract Implementation Issues at UA: Chair Review Guidelines (updated February 20, 2009) These Are Links to Approved Guidelines, Important Notes to Faculty, Grievance resolutions, etc. On This Page- Current Issues Affecting Faculty:Key Win for Scholar Kept Out of the U.S. From the Current and Recent Newsletters: -UA's VP Comments on Contingent Faculty A Strike is Avoided and Tenure is Protected: AAUP in Cincinnati Legislative Alert: Border Searches of Electronic Media The Accreditation Report: A More Complete Assessment Another Example of a Failed Shared Governance Opportunity Market Salary Adjustment Procedures KSU-AAUP Reaches Tentative Agreement
Items of Interest:Do You Need Representation Now? Academic Freedom and The First Amendment Read Endorsements of Our Contract From Colleagues Around the State AAUP's 1915 "Declaration of Principles" AAUP's 1940 "Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure" with 1970 Interpretive Comments Membership and Dues Payment Election Form
"I think you have negotiated what will turn out to be one of the best economic packages in the state over the next 4 years...You have helped to preserve faculty governance and have fought off virtually all of the proposals that would have eroded the faculty role at Akron." --Rudy Fichtenbaum, Chief Negotiator, Wright State AAUP
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