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Showing posts from March, 2019

Meeting with President Tuminez

In February, Chapter President David Knowlton and I, Vice President, were fortunate to meet with our new University President. We talked for about an hour, touching on various issues related to our work on academic freedom, due process, and shared governance at UVU. In advance of the meeting, we sent President Tuminez the following description of our activities: 31 January 2019 A Brief Introduction to the Activities of our Chapter Before there was an organized chapter of the AAUP at UVSC, the college (as do most US colleges and universities) drew on AAUP statements and recommendations ( https://www.aaup.org ) for policies like this one on faculty tenure:  https://policy.uvu.edu/getDisplayFile/588a60b23543020f057db59b and this one on Faculty Rights and Professional Responsibilities:  https://policy.uvu.edu/getDisplayFile/563a40bc65db23201153c27d .             As members of the UVU Chapter, we focus on three issues: shared governance, academic freedom, and due process. 

Academic Indulgences

Just over 500 years ago, Martin Luther, professor at the University of Wittenberg, tacked up his 95 theses to announce a forthcoming debate. In dispute was the practice of selling indulgences by which the buyer received forgiveness for sins committed and the Catholic Church received money to complete St. Peter’s Cathedral. No need for actual repentance or character development. Universities in the Utah System of Higher Education are issuing what amount to indulgences as they sell certificates of graduation without compelling students to complete meaningful courses of study. Utah Valley University, Utah State University, Southern Utah University, and Dixie State University have recently developed General Studies degrees for the purpose of increasing “student success.” Student success means graduation. The General Studies degrees were designed “for students who cannot complete or pass final requirements.” Why would a university sell certificates of graduation to incapable students?