News from State Conference President Dan Murphy, Dec 14, 2015

Dear Colleagues,

It is a busy time of the year as we wind up the term and look forward to the Holidays.

Even as we prepare for a vacation, important issues need to be considered. Last April, the General Assembly gave the Indiana Commission on Higher Education (ICHE) the authority to review, and if necessary restructure programs with low graduation rates at Ivy Tech. Those of you who attended our Spring Meeting know that this deal was cut very late in the session, and without any opportunity for us to offer public comment. This was a significant moment in the history of higher education in Indiana; a state agency was given unusual power over the curriculum of a state educational institution, raising serious concerns about academic freedom and shared governance at Ivy Tech. ICHE ran with its new authority, and a few days ago issued a report on Ivy Tech. The report and its recommendations can be read here:

http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/report-recommends-ivy-tech-improve-eliminate-programs-91013/

This will be a major area of interest for the Conference as we approach a new legislative session. If you are interested in working with our Government Relations Committee, contact me at murphy@hanover.edu.

We continue to monitor the situation at Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central, where the merger into Purdue University Northwest has raised concerns about shared governance.

When faced with issues concerning shared governance and academic freedom, there is no better guide than the AAUP's famed Redbook - it's Policy Documents and Reports. The Eleventh Edition of this invaluable resource was published by Johns Hopkins University Press at the end of 2014. Johns Hopkins is having a 40% off holiday sale on its books through December 31. Use the code HHOL at checkout. Also pick up ASC President Hans-Joerg Tiede's University Reform about the founding of the AAUP.

The National AAUP continues to address issues that resonate with our situation in Indiana. Here is a link to a brief statement on the rights of faculty members on renewable term appointments:

http://www.aaup.org/news/principles-academic-due-process

Here is a statement on "Campus Carry " laws. There have been efforts in the Indiana legislature in recent years to allow "concealed carry" on our campuses - something that we have opposed.

http://www.aaup.org/news/campus-carry-laws

Would you like to get involved with the AAUP on the state level? Let me know at murphy@hanover.edu - officer elections will be held next fall and we are looking for candidates!

Would you like to organize a chapter of the AAUP on your campus? It only takes seven members to establish a chapter.

Here is a link to join the AAUP - share this with your colleagues!

http://www.aaup.org/membership/join

Here is more information on starting a chapter.

http://www.aaup.org/get-involved/start-chapter

The ICAAUP Chapter Services Director is Rebecca Mullen who can be reached at:

rmullen@vinu.edu or you can contact me at murphy@hanover.edu

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Daniel Murphy
ICAAUP President

News from State Conference President Dan Murphy, Nov 24, 2015

​​​Colleagues,

The ICAAUP suffered a major loss this past October with the passing of our good friend, AAUP member, and longtime lobbyist Mark St. John.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/10/20/mark-st-john-longtime-lobbyist-social-service-groups-dies-62/74273504/

We are in the process of reorganizing our lobbying program - if you would be interested in this or serving on our Government Relations Committee email me at murphy@hanover.edu

Our Fall meeting October 24 at the University of Indianapolis was well-attended and jam-packed with excellent guest speakers.

Here is a brief report from Past-President Rich Schneirov:

Our conference meeting today was stimulating and revealing as to trends that have come to pervade higher education in the state of Indiana. We first heard a presentation based on his new book by Joerg Tiede, President of theAAUP's Assembly of State Conferences on the origins of AAUP during the Progressive Era. Dr. Tiede made clear that the goals of the AAUP were not just professional and disicplinary--the freedom to publish based on our own contributions to our disciplines--but included extramural political activities. The AAUP fought to bring the struggles of the Progressive movements and of social democracy into the university. Professors had speaking rights beyond those of employees because they served the public good as well as the good of their disciplines. In other words, the goal of academic freedom is not just defensive--to carve out a space where our disciplinary needs can flourish--but is offensive, to empower faculty to bring to bear their values, knowledge and expertise in governing the university and our democratic society in the public interest. The first President of the AAUP, John Dewey, thought that the question of academic freedom would soon be out of the way, and the organization would be able to tackle other issues. But that was not to be. Universities remain a terrain of conflict over whether the academic and democratic values or those of vested commercial interests will be primary.

As faculty delegates from around the state spoke, it became clear that faculty face an intensified conflict over the meaning of the public good and whether faculty can continue to play a role in determining the content of the public good when it comes to university policies and practices. This is an old struggle dating to the period of one hundred years ago, but it has never been more necessary and relevant than it is today.

We were also joined by State Representative Terri Austin (Anderson - D). Rep. Austin gave an informative run-down on the educational issues upcoming in the next legislative session. She led a spirited give and take discussion with the members present. Rep. Austin reminds us that there are a number of legislators who share our educational values; we need to reach out to them. Professor Loni McKown of Butler University gave a talk about being dismissed as the advisor of the student newspaper. Here is a good article on her situation by John K. Wilson: http://academe89.rssing.com/browser.php?indx=10737154&item=136

Professor McKown's predicament is just one of the academic freedom cases coming to our attention in Indiana. Given the predilections of all too many administrators we must remain eternally vigilant, and must organize to protect the principle of academic freedom that has been safeguarded for a century by the AAUP.

Shared Governance is also a principle that must be defended. We have been monitoring the situation in Northwest Indiana where Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central are being merged with very little input from faculty and in defiance of votes by faculty at PUC questioning the procedure for the merger. PUC Chancellor Thomas Keon was recently named Chancellor of the new Purdue University Northwest.

Because of the questions this has raised concerning shared governance, the ICAAUP Committee A recently voted to launch an investigation into the merger.

If you are interested in issues of academic freedom and shared governance, and would like to serve on the ICAAUP Committee A email me at murphy@hanover.edu.

Would you like to organize a chapter of the AAUP on your campus? It only takes seven members to establish a chapter.

Here is a link to join the AAUP - share this with your colleagues!

http://www.aaup.org/membership/join

Here is more information on starting a chapter.

http://www.aaup.org/get-involved/start-chapter

The ICAAUP Chapter Services Director is Rebecca Mullen who can be reached at:

rmullen@vinu.edu or you can contact me at murphy@hanover.edu

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

Daniel Murphy
ICAAUP President

Conference Officers

​​​Dear Colleagues,

I hope that your end of the term work has not been too stressful!

A lot has been going on with the Conference, and we are looking forward to a busy year in 2015, when we celebrate the Centennial of the AAUP.

List of Officers

At the recent Fall Meeting, November 22 at the University of Indianapolis, we elected our Conference officers for the next two years. Here they are with contact information:

Dan Murphy, President
Department of History
Hanover College
Hanover, IN 47243-0890
(812) 866-7222
murphy@hanover.edu

Richard Schneirov, Past President
Department of History
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana 47809
Richard.Schneirov@indstate.edu

Marc Rogers, Vice-President
Computer and Information Technology
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021
mkr@cerias.purdue.edu

Perry Kea, Treasurer
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
University of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN 46227
kea@uindy.edu

Miriam Pittenger, Secretary
Department of Classical Studies
Hanover College
Hanover, IN 47243-0890
pittenger@hanover.edu

At large:

Theodore K. Miller
Indiana University--Bloomington
412 E 1st St
Bloomington, IN 47401
Millert@indiana.edu

David Vollrath
School Of Business And Economics
Indiana University South Bend
South Bend, IN 46634
vollrath@iusb.edu

Anne Foster
Department of History
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
anne.foster@indstate.edu

Anne Foster
Department of History
Indiana Sate University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
anne.foster@indstate.edu

Eugenia Badger
Communication
Ivy Tech
eebadger131@hotmail.com

Chapter service program director:

Rebecca Mullen
Department of English
Vincennes University
Vincennes, IN 47591
rmullen@vinu.edu

Fall Meeting

We had a well-attended Fall Meeting on November 22, and discussed a number of issues at the state level and concerning chapters. I urge you to attend our state conference meetings. They are a wonderful way to network with colleagues across the state; these meetings remind you that you are not alone facing the problems at your school - faculty all across Indiana are facing similar challenges. It is heartening to spend a few hours with colleagues who share the AAUP's principles concerning academic freedom and shared governance!

We had two guest speakers. Mark St. John, who has been doing a splendid job acting as our lobbyist, spoke about the recent elections and the upcoming legislative session. Dr. Ken Sauer, Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief Academic Officer at the Indiana Commission on Higher Education, spoke about the latest initiatives from ICHE.

Here is an excellent summary of the meeting from Rich Schneirov, the Past President of ICAAUP: