THE DAVID R. KELLER CHAPTER OF THE AAUP / AFT AT UVU

  On the evening of October 28, UVU’s Board of Trustees, following President Astrid Tuminez’ recommendation, awarded tenure to Professor […], reversing decisions by both parties made in March of this year. President Tuminez stated that she was modifying her decision after reviewing comments by the Faculty Senate Re-evaluation Committee and letters of support, and after revisiting her notes on the portfolio.   This is how shared governance is supposed to work. By policy, the President could have upheld her earlier decision despite the committee’s recommendation. That she chose not to do so demonstrates a level of respect for faculty expertise that was not evident in earlier stages of the process.   The Provost’s initial statement of denial gave a single reason for the decision:    Dr. […] demonstrates unresolved failure to give students timely feedback in courses, first noted by his RTP committee during his midterm review, currently by the levels of review in his tenure portfolio, and c

Testimony for an Appeal of a Denial of Tenure Scott Abbott Professor of Integrated Studies, Philosophy and Humanities                I’m pleased to testify today before a Faculty Senate Appeals Committee. Your generosity and expertise is important in this particular case and for our university at large. I thank you for your serviced. I was asked to testify for three reasons.    In 2018 this member of the faculty served as a disciplinary advisor for a thesis written by a student in the Integrated Studies program.  She was not an especially thoughtful student, but was willing to follow directions and worked hard to meet expectations. Advising such a student requires a mentor who is both supportive and demanding. “There were,” I wrote, in a letter included in the tenure portfolio, “several drafts to each of which [they] responded quickly and helpfully.” I witnessed this exchange over the course of months and through numerous drafts. The student would not have finished the thesis without [