Symposium on Shared Governance: Call for Papers

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Symposium on Shared Governance

At Utah Valley University

 

Spring Semester 2023

 

Sponsored by the David R. Keller Chapter of the AAUP and AFT,

the Faculty Senate, and the Center for the Study of Ethics

 

Keynote address by 

Irene T. Mulvey 

President of the American Association of University Professors

 

Call for Papers

 

In her introduction to Volume 11 (2020) of the AAUP’s Journal of Academic Freedom, Rachel Ida Buff argues that “higher education is impelled by friction between the managed and the governed campus, between democratic practices of academic freedom and governance and the managerial imposition of practices that make campuses less accessible and less responsive to the needs of their constituencies. . . .” For this one-day symposium on March 29, 2023, we are seeking paper and panel proposals on a variety of topics related to shared governance: academic freedom; due process; labor issues concerning adjuncts, staff, and other higher-ed workers; the increasingly corporate nature of universities; the impact of any of these issues on the quality of the education we offer our students; and so on. As speakers for the symposium address issues from various and sometimes competing perspectives, we will explore possibilities for shared governance in an evolving higher education landscape. Here are a few examples of questions we hope to explore:

 

·      Mutual respect between faculty, staff, and administrators is key to shared governance. What can we do to increase such respect?

·      What does corporate efficiency mean for staff at a non-profit university? 

·      Do we still have a university if students are seen as customers and faculty as employees? 

·      Tenure-track and tenured faculty are key contributors to shared governance. How can the percentage of such faculty be raised? How might staff be enabled to contribute more fully?

·      As at-will employees, lecturers and adjuncts lack robust due process when fired. Can we find ways to afford them appeals? 

·      Lecturers and adjuncts have unique vantage points at a university but no way to contribute to shared governance. Could we change that?

·      How might legislative demands be mitigated through open communication and strategic discussions between administrators, faculty, and staff?  

·      “Student Success”—How does emphasis on graduation rates affect the quality of education?

·      And a full range of similar questions…

 

We welcome proposals from students, faculty, staff, and administrators at universities and colleges in the region.Email abstracts to Scott Abbott (scott.abbott@uvu.edu), member of the organizing committee, by February 15, 2023. 

 

The David R. Keller Chapter of the AAUP/AFT at UVU

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