For me the 'summers that werenÕt' are becoming an increasingly prevelant wail among faculty. Between on-going committee meetings, task forces, seminars, workshops, and research endeavors it seems that faculty are less and less able to claim the summer as a time for recovery and rejuvination.
Perhaps this is but one symptom of the general assault on the professoriate? Faculty at public institutions are assailed for teaching (which appears to be the only acknowledged measure of faculty activity) only a few hours a week while free-loading off taxpayers in their generous free time. Private school faculty are similarly under pressure to show 'productivity' as enrollment and tuition revenues plateau while costs continue to rise. An increasingly frustrated and suspicious public asks for clear measures of just what we do, how well we do it, and what our students have achieved.
Although I am not a psychologist, I believe it is accurate to portray these observations not as mere paranoia, for paranoia is an unfounded fear. I am convinced we are entering a period of close scutiny and attacks by taxpayers, employers, students, administrations, and parents (just to name a few ...) who simply donÕt understand academia. The cry to revoke tenure, to censure communications, to restrict freedom of speech are only a few calls which have surfaced across the nation and within our state over the last years.
The challenge facing us, I believe, is to more honestly question ourselves during the coming months. Are we simply playing a game of tradition, or is our enterprise honest and just? To the extent our ostrich tendancies have allowed us to gloss over problems, the cry to fundamentally challenge the nature of the academy should serve as a wakeup call. But to the extent that our purpose is clear and right, we need to take the challengers seriously and join the debate early on, rather than to sue for peace under duress later.
Tenure is not a 'contract for life', but a commitment to due process. 'Academic freedom' is not the freedom to slander and defame, but the freedom to openly question and search for better understanding. Research isnÕt hiding among the books in the library, it is the building block of knowledge. Time outside of the classroom isnÕt 'free', but often where the real teaching takes place. And AAUP isnÕt a union, it is a professional association.
Our reluctance to openly, clearly and forcefully speak out may well open the door to our critics, who only too eagerly seek to impose on us their visions of higher education.
I hope the Minnesota Conference of the AAUP can serve the needs of the membership in the coming battles. To do so in an effective manner, we need your help. Not only do we need your continued support as a dues paying member, we need your help in recruiting new members, in speaking out publically on behalf of our profession, in alerting the members to threatening situations, and in modelling the highest of professional standards.
In support of this vision, the Executive Committee last spring invited James Perley, President of the National AAUP, to be the speaker at our Fall Conference meeting on October 14. On behalf of the Executive Committee, I urge you to attend and to encourage fellow faculty to attend as well.
In addition, I would ask that you give serious consideration to becoming a more active member of AAUP. The range of possibilities includes using your local Chapter to sponsor open symposia on controversial topics, becoming a more vocal local spokesperson for matters relating to academia, and to consider volunteering your time to the state conference next spring by becoming a candidate for the Executive Committee.
Finally, I want to publicly thank Jack Rossmann for his job as Conference President these past two years. I feared, but wasnÕt certain, JackÕs grin as he announced the election results last spring meant more than he let on. After a brief tenure in this position I can truly appreciate the immense job he has performed on behalf of the Minnesota Conference members.
Joe Kreitzer
Saturday, October 14th, Macalester College 212 Humanities Building
Speaker: James Perley President, National AAUP
Jim will present his perceptions of the nation-wide attacks on tenure, academic freedom, and higher education funding.
10:00 - Registration; 10:30 - Presentation; 12:30 - Luncheon ($10.00)
Call Joe Kreitzer, 612-962-5683, by October 6th, to reserve lunch.
In addition a world-wide-web server will be available for conference use. We hope to place in this web site documents forwarded to us from the national office, salary information, and any other documents pertinant to the conferenceÕs mission.
The Executive Committee is also committed to support chapters in their membership drives. Please contact any member of the Executive Committee if you would like our help in your endeavors.
Finally, the commonality of issues across our campuses means we could likely benefit from shared programming. For example, members from different chapters within the Twin Cities have participated in panel discussions at one of the institutions. We would welcome your suggestions for topics, offers to host sites or to participate in any upcoming panels. Still another possibility might be to offer a teleconferenced panel which would be distributed across the state to any interested chapter