Web site: http://www.aaup-ui.org/
Present: Members: Hadi Esfahani, Robin Kar, Richard Laugesen, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, Daniel Steward, Leslie Struble, Carol Symes, Carol Tilley, H. F. Williamson
The meeting began at about 12:30 p.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. He did relay Steward’s note that Shawn Gilmore has an article in the Fall, 2025 issue of Academe.
(2) Review of the Minutes for October 9, 2025 Meeting of Policy Committee. Since there were no responses to his request for substantive comments on the minutes, Kar announced that they were approved by unanimous consent.
(3) President’s Report. Kar noted that we are in an environment where we and other groups are all thinking about the challenges to higher education that we are facing and about how best to respond to them while maintaining our values, strengths, and strategy. Thus, today we will be spending time examining the actions we plan to take next term such as the outreach we plan to undertake as we meet with campus administrators, other Big Ten groups, and the Illinois Informal Leadership Council. We also will take the opportunity to discuss issues brought to our attention such as those listed in section (6) of today’s agenda.
(4) Proposed Schedule for Spring Policy Committee Meetings: Kar thanked Laugesen and Williamson for generating a proposed schedule as a starting point for determining our spring schedule. The following schedule for meeting dates was approved:
January 22: (instruction begins January 20)
February 12: (second Thursday)
March 12: (second Thursday) Spring Vacation starts March 14 and ends March 22
April 2: (first Thursday)
April 30: (last Thursday); Reading Day is May 7
NOTE: May 12 is the Tuesday of final examination week, a past Annual Meeting date.
It was less clear what would be the best starting time so Laugesen will set up a “when to meet” to determine the time that will work best for the group.
NOTE: The result of this process was that the meetings will start at 11 AM in the spring.
(5) Actions Items for Chapter
(a) Meeting with Campus Administrators. Kar has started by inviting the (new) Chancellor Isbell and Provost Coleman either together or separately depending on their preference with a copy to Robin Kaler.
(b) Contacting other Big Ten AAUP chapters. Symes used the contact information that Laugesen had gathered to send out an initial email to which there was a flood of responses and appreciation for our starting this process. We now have a spreadsheet for contacting them. An initial meeting was held on November 2 which Kar was able to attend. Members from Iowa led a discussion about the tone of some communications from the national office. Kar noted that there will be differences among the institutions depending on the degree of alignment between the administrations and relevant faculty groups. It was acknowledged that there will times when we will want to coordinate and times when we will take different approaches. Regardless of our positions, it will be helpful if we share documents and ideas. A representative from the national AAUP office was also there who reported that they are developing more of a positive vision of what higher education is that would speak to a broader population. The Big Ten group will plan to meet biweekly. Steward noted that in his recent article in Academe Shawn Gilmore has discussed the actions taken by the academic side of the Big Ten group. Kar noted it is important to distinguish among the various Big Ten “groups” as to which is taking which position. For example, there is the Big Ten Academic Alliance that is working with the various campus Senates to get resolutions passed on this issue. Parker suggested it would be useful if the leaders at the various institutions could report on actions, both good and bad, taken at their campuses. We could then tell our administrators that we have organized this action so we can regularly inform them of what is occurring.
(c) Consideration of signing in support of the joint statement of the AAUP and AFT against the Trump compacts. Kar noted that in considering such actions, we need to be aware that if the communications are too strident, they may hurt our effectiveness though he was not objecting to this statement. It was agreed to support this statement and the groups who had already signed. A motion authorizing Kar to sign for the Chapter passed unanimously.
(d) UIUC Procedures for Disclosures to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights
The Trump administration has been asking for information about various professors at a number of campuses. We don’t know exactly what is occurring on our campus in terms of requests and responses. Kar has been selected to serve on a Task Force to suggest procedures to communicate to the faculty if there has been a Title VI request. He will be able to ask for further clarification on which procedures are being examined so that the campus can respond in ways that will promote academic freedom and not chill free speech. Parker noted that two of the specific issues to be considered should be (a) whether the campus reports names and (b) if they do, whether the people whose names are reported should be informed about it.
(e) Scheduling other Meetings or Workshops. Kar noted that we were considering a survey of our members that would include asking what topics they would find most useful for our workshops. He felt that those scheduled last year had been popular and very useful. Steward suggested he could also survey the members of the NTFC to find out their interests since this a period when the two groups have several interests in common. Kar agreed and noted that the survey could also be sent to the leaders of the Informal Illinois Leadership Council.
(f) Membership drive. Kar noted the most effective efforts have been the webinars we have held while efforts such as trying to meet with faculty at department meetings have not yielded many new members. He will be checking again with Kimberly Piper from the national office on her suggestions.
(g) Request to start the December meeting earlier and finish by 1:00pm. It was agreed to start the meeting at noon to help meet this goal.
(6) Informational Items. Kar noted that this is the category to cover items that members would like to discuss including both those listed on the agenda and those brought up at the meeting. The most important would-be items on which we need to take an action, but it could include informational topics as well. Parker agreed to track underpublicized issues nationally that might relate to the interests of our Chapter.
(7) Chapter Web Site Reports. Williamson noted that he would be working with Struble to review the Chapter web site. Struble noted that she is now managing the web site. She is posting the minutes and the agenda for the next meeting, but not old agendas. There was a discussion of how we might proceed and how public these documents should be and an agreement that she and Williamson will oversee the site.
(8) Schedule for Remaining Fall Meetings
(a) Policy Committee Meetings: last fall meeting is at noon on Thursday, December 4
(b) Meetings with Administrators and Chapter Meetings: to be determined.
(9) Adjournment. Kar adjourned the meeting at about 1:50 p.m.
As noted above, the next meeting is scheduled to be at noon on Thursday, December 4, 2025.
UIUC AAUP Policy Committee
Agenda for Thursday, November 6, 2025 Zoom Meeting
Web site: http://www.aaup-ui.org/
Meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m. Zoom information at the bottom of this agenda.
(1) Introductions.
(2) Review of the Minutes for October 9, 2025 Meeting of Policy Committee
(3) President’s Report.
(4) Proposed Schedule for Spring Policy Committee Meetings: The following schedule is proposed with the starting time to be determined but during the noon hour (i.e., between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The meetings will be held electronically.
January 22: (instruction begins January 20)
February 12: (second Thursday)
March 12: (second Thursday) Spring Vacation starts March 14 and ends March 22
April 2: (first Thursday)
April 30: (last Thursday); Reading Day is May 7
NOTE: May 12 is the Tuesday of final examination week, a past Annual Meeting date.
(5) Actions Items for Chapter
(a) Meeting with Campus Administrators
(b) Contacting other Big 10 AAUP chapters
(c) Consideration of signing in support of the joint statement of the AAUP and AFT against the Trump compacts
(d) UIUC Procedures for Disclosures to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights
(e) Scheduling other Meetings or Workshops
(f) Membership drive
(g) Request to start the December meeting earlier and finish by 1:00pm
(6) Informational Items
(a) FOIA requests for course syllabi at UNC
(b) Federal investigation of faculty senate at George Mason University
(7) Reports
(a) Report from our Liaison to the NTFC Local #6546 Chapter
(b) Chapter Web Site
(c) Other
(8) Schedule for Remaining Fall Meetings
(a) Policy Committee Meetings: last fall meeting is at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 4
(b) Meetings with Administrators and Chapter Meetings: to be determined.