The Annual Business Meeting of the UIUC tenure-stream AAUP Chapter was held by Zoom on May9, 2023. It began at about 4:30 p.m. following the presentation by Patricial Okker, former President of New College of Florida. Chapter President Robert Parker was presiding.
- Election of Officers for 2022-2023. President Parker announced that following procedures outlined in Article VII of the Chapter’s Bylaws, a nominating committee was appointed to nominate candidates for the elective offices. The individuals nominated as officers for the 2023-2024 term: President: Robin Kar; Vice President: Carol Symes; Secretary and Treasurer: H. F. Williamson. He announced that there were no additional nominees by petition from the membership and that the floor was now open for additional nominations for any of these offices. There were no nominees forthcoming so he declared the nominations closed and announced that the nominees had been elected by acclamation.
- President’s Report. President Parker opened his report by reminding the attendees that the American Association of University Professors is the premier organization dedicated to the support of three tightly connected principles: academic freedom, tenure, and faculty participation in university governance. He noted that our AAUP chapter works to support all three of those principles, which seem terribly urgent now in an age when politicians and pundits tell us what we can study and teach, and what we cannot study and teach. From climate science to epidemiology, history, and the study of race, we face threats to academic freedom, tenure, and shared governance. Thus, it is now perhaps as much as ever that we need the AAUP. He strongly encouraged those attending who are not members to consider joining. If they would you’d like more information, they would be welcome to get in touch with our chapter vice president, Richard Laugesen, or himself. He concluded by noting to the attendees that “If you believe in what you do as a faculty member, you need the AAUP, and the AAUP needs your membership and support.”
The Business Meeting adjourned at about 4:50 p.m.