Spring 2007 Newsletter >
Execitive Reports > President's Corner
President's Corner
John McLucas, Professor, Modern Languages
Towson AAUP President
Dear colleagues,
The glass is half empty:
While I continue to feel that our University has a
comparatively healthy culture, I am struck by how often in the past
year I have heard colleagues talk about low morale, confusion, and insecurity.
Issues such as merit, promotion and tenure, teaching-load, faculty compensation,
and retirement benefits – generally, issues of the allocation
of resources – continue to frustrate and discourage the faculty,
and have the potential to divide us as well.
There is also significant stress around the areas
of shared governance and academic freedom: the right of faculty to determine
major academic directions of the university and to teach and conduct
research according to our own highest standards and professional judgment.
There is some troubling evidence that Towson is having difficulty recruiting
and retaining the best junior faculty (see editorial).
The glass is half full:
I am happy about the resiliency and good humor of
our faculty under these trying circumstances. In the many contacts I
have with colleagues across the campus, I am always impressed by their
dedication and creativity.
Our chapter’s membership is rising – too
slowly, but it IS rising! If you are already a member, please continue
to spread the word among your colleagues. If you are not yet a member,
please consider joining. Our voice is stronger as our numbers grow.
This program year began with a very successful meeting
of the Maryland State Chapter of the AAUP, which we hosted on Towson’s
campus in October. Representatives from the State and national AAUP
were very impressed with our chapter’s vitality and organization,
and were ecstatic with the turn-out.
Thanks in part to the strong voice of the faculty
in the University Senate, it appears likely that measures to address
“salary compression” (the fact that new hires may be paid
the same as or more than colleagues with several years’ service),
and the extension of health benefits to lecturers, will be part of next
year’s budget.
My monthly meetings with President Caret and Provost
Brennan are interesting, cordial, and honest. While we continue to speak
frankly about areas of concern, I am happy to report that several issues
which continue to be brought to my attention by colleagues are being
addressed at the State level:
- discrepancies among retirement programs between
the State system and TIAA-CREF;
- the cost of health care, including co-pays;
- the level of per-student funding to Towson.
Our committee structure is being revitalized. We currently
have functioning committees in the following areas (the activities of
some of these committees are described elsewhere in this newsletter):
- Junior faculty;
- Faculty grievance;
- Contingent faculty;
- Women in the academy (Committee W);
- Newsletter.
We are also looking for colleagues interested in taking
leadership in forming committees in the following (please consider if
you might be interested in serving in any of these areas):
- Diversity – how to increase and maintain
it among faculty and administrators;
- Salary and equity;
- Academic freedom;
- Membership – how to increase the size, inclusiveness, and
effectiveness of the chapter.
Thank you to every member of this faculty for your
commitment, imagination, and high professionalism. United we stand!
Best,
John
