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Summary Report for UIUC AAUP Policy Committee Meeting on October 1, 2012
Present: Abbas Aminmansour, Kenneth Andersen, Connie Caveny, Lewis Hopkins, Walter McMahon, Cary Nelson, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, John Prussing, Robert Spitze, Leslie Struble, Donald Uchtmann, Amanda Vinicky (guest), H. F. Williamson.
The meeting began at about 12:20 p.m. following the meeting with Avijit Ghosh, Fred Giertz, and Amanda Vinicky with Leslie Struble presiding.
President's Report
(1) Plans for Fall and Spring Meetings.
(a) There were no changes in the schedule for the rest of the fall included in the agenda: November 5: 11 a.m., 215 IUB, VPAA Pierre; noon, 211 IUB, regular meeting; December 10: 11 a.m., 215 IUB, Provost Adesida; December 10: noon, 211 IUB, regular meeting.
(b) For the spring, Struble plans to hold up to four sessions on Collective Bargaining issues. One will be in January and the rest will be scheduled to occur subsequent to the February meeting with Vice Chancellor Peter Schiffer.
(c) It was suggested that we consider changing the day of the week for our meetings when we next make out a schedule such as for 2013-2014.
(2) Review of the Minutes for September 10, 2012 Meeting of Policy Committee (sent earlier; copies will part of the meeting packet). The minutes for this meeting were approved with one minor correction: in (5), the title of Peter Schiffer should be VCR, not VPAA.
(3) Remarks from President: Struble reported on how well the meeting with Avijit Ghosh, Fred Giertz, and Amanda Vinicky has gone. Vinicky was invited to join us for this meeting to continue the discussion.
Action Items
(4) Political Outlook. Vinicky led a discussion of what is likely to occur with regard to pension issues in the January session of the legislature. She emphasized the key roles played by the leaders of the legislature and their senior staff members. There was discussion of whether the Chapter might prepare a position statement to send these individuals. Hopkins and Nelson agreed to work on a first draft. Uchtmann suggested that we must point out the importance of achieving a resolution of these problems and the hope that the IGPA proposal be part of the solution. Spitze noted his concern about whether efforts in this area might lessen our effectiveness in reaching other goals.
(5) Preparation for Meeting with VPAA Pierre, November 5. Revisions were suggested for the draft agenda in the packet. These included
(a) Inform Pierre we expect his opening remarks to be 5- 7 minutes (alternatively, Struble or Williamson could include this instruction in the cover email when he is sent the agenda);
(b) Expand the questions about the proposed initiative for unit assessment: e.g., why he thinks it is needed; what are its objectives, and what are the expected criteria that will be used.to review units; (draft agenda in meeting packet)
(c) Delete the third item (role as key voice for higher education in Illinois).
Struble will prepare a revised draft for the final copy of the agenda. That copy will include a list of all individuals indicating they plan to attend.
(6) Report on National AAUP. Nelson reported that an AAUP chapter is being organized at Yale University in light of faculty governance issues there. He hopes that this might be the start of the establishment or rebirth of chapters on similar campuses. He also reported on recent interactions with the national Council and discussed the impact of the “tripartition” of the AAUP implemented to avoid violating the IRS code.
(7) Planning for the Governance Workshop, 3-5 p.m., Tuesday, November 13, 314 Illini Union. Hopkins reported that this is the first of at least two workshops. This one will focus on governance at the departmental and college level. He suggested that the listed time be 90 minutes rather than two hours. He also agreed that a 3:00-4:30 p.m. schedule would be better. The panelists at this point are Hopkins, Prussing, and Hilton. The workshop will be publicized in a number of possible ways: (a) email through our contact with national office; (b) Inside Illinois; and (c) the Senate listserve. There was a suggestion that we not schedule such events only on the Tuesday-Thursday cycle for those with conflicts on both those days.
