Present: Robin Kar, Richard Laugesen, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, Leslie Struble, Carol Symes, Carol Tilley, H. F. Williamson
The meeting began at about 11:00 a.m. with Kar presiding.
(1) Welcome and Introductions. Kar welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their service. Since there were no guests today, introductions were not needed.
(2) Review of the Minutes for the April 2, 2026 Meeting of Policy Committee. Since there were no responses to his request for substantive comments on the minutes, Kar announced that they were adopted by unanimous consent.
(3) President’s Report. As background, Kar discussed the conversations that he and Carol Symes had with President Killeen about our concerns that AAUP guidelines had not been followed during the last search for a Chancellor. They noted that it would be particularly important to have such procedures in place if they were to face outside pressure or criticism about the final choice. For reference, Kar shared the “Statement of Principles Concerning the Upcoming Presidential Search” prepared by three University of Michigan AAUP Chapters in June 2025. One emphasis in the report was the importance of a transparent search process with publicly announced campus visits by the finalists. Such actions are in the public interest and can support the ability of the individual chosen to lead. Put differently, the more procedural protections that are in place, the more the institution is protected, and the results are easier to support. It was noted that a drawback is that such transparency may deter some individuals from becoming candidates. The discussion concluded with Kar asking Tilley to prepare a document reporting our concerns using the University of Michigan paper as starting point. He then finished his President’s Report by thanking the Policy Committee members for their service this year and the wonderful job they did.
(4) Action Items for the Chapter
(a) Promotion and Tenure Panel. It was agreed that the Panel went well. There were over 90 registrants and almost 60 attending at the peak. Laugesen will be adding them to our friends email list, noting that we now have an email list of around 700 individuals. Kar noted that one payoff of the Panel is that those attending are more aware that we are here to help individuals who need it. For example, he has had several requests from individuals who want to speak confidentially about various matters. This is good news for awareness of the role of the AAUP but of concern given how the system appears not to be working well for so many young faculty. Struble will arrange to have the audio recording of the presentations (but not the Q&A follow-up) on the website. Kar concluded the review of the Panel by relaying one individual’s appreciation for our providing this opportunity for affected faculty to hear from individuals outside the system about how to proceed. The discussion concluded with approval of the text for a motion to be presented at the Annual Meeting thanking the panelists for their participation in the Panel.
(b) Presentation at the Annual Chapter Meeting. As noted in the Agenda, the Meeting will start at 2 PM on Thursday, May 7, 2026. Panelists Kathryn Clancy and Robin Kar will discuss the topic “Antidiscrimination Legislation & the Chilling of Academic Freedom.” Kar will be working with Clancy on how they will proceed with the presentation. He will also inform the Provost’s office. Various other options were discussed concerning how to publicize the event in addition to EWeek such as the Council of Deans. Kar indicated that the co-hosts will include Laugesen, Symes, and Tilley
(c) Business Meeting
(i) Election of Officers for 2026-2027. The nominating committee proposed Carol Symes, President; Carol Tilley, Vice President; and Richard Laugesen and H. F. Williamson, co-Secretaries and Co-Treasurers. There were no additional nominees by petition.
(ii) President’s Report. Kar indicated he would discuss our actions during the entire year, a summary that will serve as the basis for his spring Newsletter.
(5) Reports
(a) Chapter Web Site. Kar thanked Struble for all her work on the site particularly after the departure of the student who had been working on the site.
(b) Membership Analysis. Laugesen will work with Esfahani on the review of the makeup of the new members of the Chapter.
(c) Informational Items. Laugesen reminded attendees of the AAUP-related informational items listed at the bottom of the agenda, thanking Parker for his work in preparing the list
(d) Chapter Social Media. Parker noted that a lot more AAUP chapters are doing social media now. He wondered if we wanted to consider having a social media presence where we would announce such things as events being planned or resolutions being considered. Kar agreed as did Tilley who noted that a growing number of AAUP chapters (and National) are active on Bluesky. Tilley offered to take the first steps to create an account. Kar suggested that we make this a key item on the agenda for the summer meeting of the Executive Committee (the incoming officers and the immediate Past President). There was general agreement Tilley set up an account as soon as it is convenient and share the information with the rest of the Executive Committee. She indicated that the first step will be to set up a generic Gmail account for the Chapter which can then be used to set up the Bluesky account. She will be careful to share the login information with the other Chapter leaders. Once this is set up, Struble will put the Bluesky address on the Chapter website.
(8) Adjournment. Kar adjourned the meeting at about noon.
The next meeting of the Policy Committee will be the first meeting of the fall, 2026 semester.