Minutes, Truman
Chapter of AAUP
October 4, 2006,
4:00 pm
University Club
Meetings are open
to all university faculty members.
Faculty present: Betty McLane-Iles (presiding), Martha
Bartter, James Harmon, Diane Johnson, Elaine McDuff, Judi Misale, David
Robinson, Peter Rolnick, Lynn Rose, Tom Stewart
1. Minutes of September 8 meeting were approved.
2. Last springs AAUP State of the University Survey.
Judi Misale led us in an editing session on her summary analysis of the results,
which noted many interesting trends and features. This updated analysis will
soon be available on the main page of our chapter website. In late October, Judi
and a small AAUP group will meet with President Dixon to discuss what we all can
learn from this survey. This session could be particularly useful, in light of
last springs Faculty-Senate-led evaluation of the Dixon, which was apparently
decidedly negative.
3.
Foreign-language capstone courses and Reading Day. The faculty involved in
this issue expressed thanks to us for clearing up the fact that policy has not
yet been passed through faculty governance. There is no need for further AAUP
help, at least at this point. We shall monitor the situation.
Betty
McLane-Iles reports: The French faculty specifically asked for the input from
AAUP at our last faculty meeting since they had heard it had been discussed, and
the research done by members and conclusions underlined were discussed by Gregg
Siewert and myself. I had also reiterated specifically that several members had
given this their time and attention. I encouraged Gregg to share with the other
faculty the memo we sent to him, which he has done recently. The matter is still
being pursued, as there is a strong interest still in doing capstone
presentations on Reading Day, and as our students find that convenient also. We
are moving carefully and slowly though.
4. The
University Personnel Policy Committee (of the Faculty Senate) has produced a
preliminary paper (not yet a decided policy or bill), and the committee will
continue this work. From a university (or otherwise authorized) computer, you
can view this working paper on personnel policy:
http://vpaa.truman.edu/communications/PersonnelPolicies.pdf
Our AAUP chapter formed a committee to study the recommendations, in light of
published AAUP policies, and our chapter may decide to make formal comments as
the Faculty Senate and administration define the policy. Our committee consists
of Kathryn Brammall and Dianne Johnson (both current Senate members), as well as
David Robinson.
5. The University Sabbatical Policy Committee (a
committee convened by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, we think) will
likely to be asked to make recommendations on the future of our sabbatical
program. Issues that have been raised at past AAUP meetings include the
contract-requirement to remain at Truman for two years following the sabbatical
year (one year seems standard elsewhere) and our 80%-pay level for full-year
sabbaticals (50% is the usual case elsewhere). Several of us noted that, at
Trumans low salary-levels, a 50% rate would exclude nearly everyone from a
full-year sabbatical, making the one-semester sabbatical (at 100%) the only
workable choice. Members are asked to gather comments and information on these
and other sabbatical issues and bring them to future meetings, or to
communication their views to a member of our chapter who serve on this
committee, Steven Reschly,
sdr@truman.edu
6. New business and announcements.
At the request of an old friend of the chapter,
Tom Guild, we collected signatures on a petition to add the name of Dan Murphy
(Hanover College in Indiana) as a candidate for AAUP District IV Representative,
whose area includes Missouri.
Marc Becker, our former chapter secretary,
reports that his sabbatical work has already taken him to Latin America and to
Africa. He has turned over maintenance of our chapters list-serve and website
to David Robinson, current secretary. See Marcs photos and reports at
www.yachana.org/sabbatical
David Robinson hosted the fall meeting of the
executive board of Missouri Council of AAUP at his home on September 23. Since
the Mo-Council president, John Harms of Missouri State University, is
term-limited, the exec board decided to nominate the current VP, Keith Hardeman
of Westminster College, as president-elect. David Robinson was slated for
nomination as the next VP of Mo-Council. The election of these new officers will
take place at the annual meeting of Mo-Council, scheduled for St. Louis on
February 24. David Robinson plans to give one of the keynote talks on the
conference theme, tentatively entitled Contingency, Collegiality, and
Continuation of Tenure. David was also asked to attend the October 10 meeting
of the Missouri Association of Faculty Senates (MAFS), representing the
Mo-Council of AAUP.
7. Adjournment, ca. 6:00 PM
Respectfully submitted by David Robinson, secretary