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President's Semester Report

SPRING 2009

TO:  Members, UIUC AAUP Chapter
FR:  Donald Uchtmann, Chapter President
RE:  Activities of the Policy Committee, Spring, 2009

This is my final report as the Chapter President to the members of the UIUC AAUP Chapter concerning our activities during the previous semester.  I am stepping down this summer after three years in that position.  I appreciate the support of the members of the Chapter and its Policy Committee during my Presidency.  I am sure that this support will continue for our new Chapter President, John Prussing.  I continue to be impressed by the important role that so many members of our chapter play in campus governance particularly as members of numerous important committees.  We plan to continue meeting with campus and University administrators next year and to hold a tenure workshop during the spring, 2010 semester (see item 4 below).

The Policy Committee met this spring on January 20, February 9, March 9, April 6, May 5, and June 8.  Members of the Policy Committee also met with Vice Provost Barbara Wilson on February 9 (see item 3 below) and Vice President Meena Rao on March 13, 2009 (see item 2 below).   The members who attended at least one of these meetings were:  Abbas Aminmansour, Kan Andersen, Geneva Belford, Linn Belford, Connie Caveny, Bettina Francis, Harry Hilton, Lewis Hopkins, Harry Liebersohn, Walter McMahon, John Prussing, Art Robinson, Robert Spitze, Leslie Struble, Donald Uchtmann, and H. F. Williamson.  The annual meeting was held on May 12 (see item 10 below).

The rest of this report provides a summary of our activities and the discussions at the Policy Committee meetings.  Among our principal activities in addition to meeting with Vice President Rao and Vice Provost Wilson were the  sponsorship of a Tenure Workshop on March 5 (see item 4) below and our continued role in helping shape campus policy on such issues as the Global Campus Initiative.  If you would like to have a more active role in our Chapter’s activities, please let me or one of the other members of the Policy Committee know.  We would be pleased to have all of our members more involved in the Chapter’s activities, possibly as members of the Policy Committee or of one of the other committees.

Activities of the Policy Committee

(1)  "Financing Strategies at the University Level” Report.  At our meeting with Vice President Walter Knorr last December, we suggested policies that could be adopted.  Vice President Knorr expressed an interest in any proposals that we could provide him on the issues discussed during the meeting.  The result was a report prepared primarily by Walter McMahon  suggesting that the links between fundraising, budgeting, and academic policy should be strengthened.  This was shared with Vice President Knorr and Vice President Rao.

(2)  Meeting with Vice President Mrinalini (Meena) Rao.  The Policy Committee regularly invites campus leaders to join us for a discussion of issues important to the faculty and the rest of the academic community.  It also helps senior administrators understand the nature of the AAUP presence on this campus and the valued AAUP principles of academic freedom and shared governance.  Vice President Rao accepted our invitation to join us at for a second time at a special lunch meeting on March 13.  She again discussed the activities of her office including how the University is planning to meet the financial problems it is facing.  She thanked us for the insights provided by the “Financing Strategies” report.

(3)  Meeting with Vice Provost Barbara Wilson.  She had started in this position on January 1st.  In her remarks, she discussed (a) her background for the position, (b) her role as Vice Provost; (c) the impact of the budget crisis on the retention of qualified faculty; (d) the size of the student body and its effect on funding; (e) the role of Department Head; and (f) issues related to the campus tenure and promotion policies.

(4)  Tenure Workshop on March 5.  Harry Hilton, Chair of the Workshop Steering Committee, and the rest of the Committee did an excellent job in selecting the speakers, arranging the event itself, and publicizing it to the faculty.  The speakers were Provost Linda Katehi; Vice Provost Barbara Wilson; Professor Jim Imlay, a past chair of the campus Promotion and Tenure Committee; Professor Billie Jean Theide, chair of the UIUC Faculty Advisory Committee; and Professor Ken Andersen, a member of the Policy Committee.  We were pleased at the turnout and that many who attended thanked the members of the Policy Committee who were there for the AAUP’s sponsorship of this excellent program.  Because of this success, we have decided to continue holding the Tenure Workshop on an annual basis in the spring.

(5)  Global Campus Initiative/Partnership.  We continued to discuss this program throughout the year and feel that the decision to adopt the suggestions made in the report “A Redesigned Global Campus” from the committee chaired by Nicholas Burbules was a good one.  This was another example of the importance of faculty governance in such decision-making.

(6)  Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee.  Co-chair Art Robinson has continued to work with individuals who have concerns about the procedures being used for decisions on promotion and tenure.  He has also been working with the staff in the Provost’s office who are reviewing these procedures.  Art shared the role of Chair with Co-Chair Leslie Stuble

(7)  Government Relations Committee.  The chair, Andersen, continued to lead discussions of the problems facing the state particularly with regard to the budget.  Of critical concern were the state’s large structural deficit and the fact that the stridency of those on opposite sides of the tax debate may preclude the legislature being able to reach a reasonable compromise solution.

(8)  Chapter Web Site.  Throughout the year, we maintained our award-winning Chapter Website (which includes summaries of our monthly policy committee meetings).  The Website and our Policy Committee meetings remind us that the issues of academic freedom and tenure and the wellbeing of the academy – matters that we feel deeply about as individuals – are shared by the AAUP.

(9)  National and State Conference.  We selected individuals to represent the Chapter at the State Conference meeting on April 18 (Ken Andersen) and the National AAUP meeting on June. 11-14 (John Prussing, Ken Andersen, and Cary Nelson).

(10)  Annual Meeting, May 6, 2008
(a)  Business Meeting.  After the minutes for the May 6, 2008 Annual meeting were approved, the report from the Nominating Committee was made.  The proposed slate of officers for 2009-2010 of President John Prussing, Vice President Bettina Francis, Secretary Connie Francis, and Treasurer H. F. Williamson was accepted. 
(b)  President’s Report.  Uchtmann then made his final President’s Report.  He described the activities the Chapter had undertaken during the year and thanked the committee chairs and all the members of the Policy Committee for their important contributions to the successful year.  He noted the issues that we had addressed (e.g., Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government, the Global Campus Initiative) and the campus leaders with whom we met (Vice Presidents Walter Knorr and Meena Rao; Vice Provost Barbara Wilson).  One outgrowth of these meetings was a report on “Financing Strategies at the University Level” provided to both of the Vice Presidents with whom we had met. 
(c)  Recognition of Donald Uchtmann.  The Chapter presented outgoing President Uchtmann with a scroll containing the following resolution:  “That the UIUC Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, noting many accomplishments of the Chapter under his leadership, hereby expresses its deepest appreciation to Donald Uchtmann for his enduring commitment to the ideals of academic freedom and shared university governance, for his outstanding service to the American Association of University Professors and this Chapter, and especially for his dedication and unselfish leadership as President of the UIUC Chapter of AAUP from June 2006 through May 2009.”
(d)  Presentation by Cary Nelson, President of the National AAUP, “The State of the National AAUP.”  Nelson reported that the National Office is in much better shape under the leadership of Gary Rhoades, the new General Secretary.  The principal challenges are to complete the improvements in the Membership and Financial Departments and to obtain good software.  Another major challenge is to recruit new members particularly at advocacy chapters.  Though the membership has risen slightly, we are losing individuals from the retiree members.  He discussed a number of academic freedom issues such as what might be improved with regard to Committee A and what academic freedoms individuals can be assured with regard to not only classroom presentations but also decision making such as the choice of textbooks.  One change being considered is to move to a progressive dues structure.  The proposal for restructuring the Association which he discussed last year is currently on hold, pending review by the IRS.  He looks forward to continuing this work next year.
(e)  Presentation by Kenneth Andersen, past-President of the AAUP Illinois Conference and UIUC Chapter, “The State of the State:  Relations among the Legislature, the IBHE, and SURS.”  Andersen reported first on the actions at the State Conference meeting on April 18.  He is concerned that he is the only public University member of state council.  The Conference has the opportunity to play a major role in the state given the incidents that have occurred at such campuses as Quincy and College of DuPage.  He could only speculate on what would occur by the scheduled end of the spring legislative session on May 31.  He is particularly concerned with the situation at SURS given that (a) there is no permanent Executive Director and (b) there will not be a new Board of Trustees until after the elections which end in mid-June.  The number of major tasks facing the legislature (e.g., the capital bill, the budget, reform legislation) is daunting.