Colgate AAUP Governance Changes

With Jill Harsin agreeing to become interim President of Colgate in July, the leadership of our local chapter of AAUP has changed. Following procedures set out in our bylaws, Bob Turner, who was to be Vice President starting this semester, has become President, and the Executive Committee will appoint a new Vice President. As announced previously, the Executive Council will collectively act as editors of the blog, sponsored by AAUP, for items of interest to the Colgate faculty.

AAUP will continue to hold caucuses before each month’s Faculty Meeting; the purpose of these caucuses is to discuss items on the Faculty Meeting agenda as well as any other topics that AAUP members may wish to bring up. AAUP will also continue to foster conversations among faculty members and between faculty members and others (especially administrators) about items of importance to the Colgate community. We intend to resume publication each semester of the Vox, a (probably electronic) newsletter consisting of articles on a selected theme. As always, we will remain vigilant regarding matters of academic freedom, the economic welfare of the Colgate faculty, and campus governance.

The current Executive Council consists of the Executive Committee—Bob Turner (President), Rick Geier (Secretary), Nina Moore (Treasurer), Peter Tagtmeyer (Liaison to Library Faculty, technical administrator of the blog), and Lenora Warren and Eddie Watkins (members at large)—as well as Connie Harsh (chair of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure) and Jeff Baldani (chair of Committee Z on Economic Status of the Faculty and Profession). (There are two other standing committees of the AAUP—Committee B on Professional Ethics and Committee C on Educational Policies—but they are currently dormant.)

Colgate’s AAUP chapter has provided an important service to Colgate faculty members and to the campus community at large, both recently and historically. We can do so because of our connection to the national AAUP and also because we represent the faculty as a whole. The latter claim is justified in part by the large percentage of Colgate faculty members who belong to the AAUP. If you are not yet a member, we strongly encourage you to join. The membership application form is posted on this website. Your local chapter will continue its recent practice of subsidizing new members by paying $50 towards the 2015 membership dues for new members.