 5 Questions With...
Jennifer R. Ballengee
Associate Professor of English
President, TU-AAUP/Faculty Association
Director, Ancient Mediterranean Studies Program
How have the past 3 years of budget cuts to higher education in Maryland affected the quality of education that Towson University is able to deliver to its students?
Budget cuts have affected everyone, from students to faculty to administrators, in the Towson community. Jobs have been lost, class sizes raised, research support decreased, and classroom technology maintenance or updates gravely limited, to name just a few symptoms. But the biggest hit has probably been the furloughs/temporary salary cuts that have been imposed on Towson employees for the past three years. It is undeniable that these furloughs/salary cuts affect the educational product that faculty are able to deliver to our students. Essential aspects of instruction are lost when furlough/leave is imposed on faculty, even on non-instructional days (see the next question for more on what faculty do, inside and outside of the classroom). Moreover, the low salaries, decreased research support, and ongoing threat of furloughs can hamper our ability to continue to hire and retain quality faculty at Towson.
What does a day in the life of faculty member look like at Towson University?
While our time spent in the classroom is the most obvious and manifest aspect of our role as teachers, much of our pedagogical work happens also outside the classroom, in advising, meeting with students, preparing class lectures and lesson plans, grading papers and exams, serving on academic committees (such as curriculum committees, steering committees, and other aspects of university governance), and conducting the research that keeps the information we impart to our students lively, up-to-date, and on the cutting edge of our disciplines. The faculty I know at Towson work morning, afternoon, evening, late into the night, and on weekends to keep up with the increasing workload demands that we face.
What is the TU-AAUP/Faculty Association?
The TU-AAUP/Faculty Association is a composite of Towson's faculty association, in which all faculty are automatically members, and the local Towson chapter of the national Association of American University Professors (AAUP). The national AAUP has been protecting the rights of faculty and other higher education professionals for ninety-five years. Through assistance and advice to individuals, state and federal lobbying, amicus briefs, support for collective bargaining, and other means, the AAUP helps shape American higher education and ensure higher education's contribution to the common good.
What does the TU-AAUP/Faculty Association have to do with the quality of education at Towson University?
The TU-AAUP/Faculty Association fosters a university community committed to quality education through developing policy proposals that support a healthy educational environment; advocating for academic concerns in university budget and other discussions; encouraging and facilitating communication between administrators and faculty; organizing events that draw together faculty from across the university for development and interaction; helping faculty to resolve issues that affect their teaching or research; and supporting shared governance at Towson.
What is shared governance and how does it work at Towson University?
Shared governance is the idea that governance of institutions of higher education should be shared among faculty, administrators, and trustees (according to the guidelines of the national AAUP). The policy on shared governance in the University System of Maryland indicates that faculty have opportunities to participate in decisions that relate to mission and budget priorities; curriculum, course content, and instruction; research; appointment, promotion, and tenure of faculty; and selection and appointment of administrators. This policy is outlined specifically in the TU Faculty Handbook, Chapter Two, section II. Shared governance is a right and a privilege of faculty at Towson. It requires the active participation of faculty members in service on committees and taskforces that address issues related to the academic and pedagogical aspects of the university. The rewards for such participation are significant: in exchange for service, shared governance should allow the faculty to have a voice in major decisions affecting the academic community at Towson. Shared governance, in other words, is both a privilege and a responsibility. The main bodies of shared governance at Towson are the University Senate, the university committees of the Senate, and the TU-AAUP/Faculty Association.
Towson University 2016
 Towson University President Robert Caret was presented with the 2011 Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award during the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Council on Education (ACE). The Mentor Award is presented each year to acknowledge the important role of mentors in the ACE Fellows Program, which was established in 1965 to strengthen institutional leadership in American higher education by preparing faculty and staff for senior administration positions. President Caret served as a faculty member, dean, executive vice president and provost of Towson University for 21 years before leaving to assume the presidency of San Jose State University in 1995. In 2003, he returned to Towson as the institution's 12th president. Having mentored seven ACE Fellows, President Caret was recognized as a role model to emerging leaders. He has also been instrumental in encouraging other presidents to participate in the ACE Fellows program.
2016 Plan | Guiding Principles
New in the News
Read up on the latest higher education issues that have appeared in the news recently:
 Legislative Bills and HEARING INFORMATION
The following hearings are scheduled:
MARCH 9 @ 1:00 pm
SB 315 Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers (BOAST) in Maryland Tax Credit
SB 387 High Performance Buildings Act - Applicability to Recipients of State Aid
SB 486 State Employees and Retiree Health and Welfare Benefits Program -Eligibility for
Enrollment and Participation of Retirees
SENATE: BUDGET AND TAXATION
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CAPITAL BUDGET - Room 120
HOUSE: APPROPRIATIONS
HB 573 Fertilizer Use Act of 2011
HB 668 Environment - Local Stormwater Charges -- State Property
HB 678 Environment - Water and Sewer Service - Late Fees
HB 687 Chesapeake Bay Nitrogen Reduction Act of 2011
HB 706 Chesapeake Bay Phosphorus Reduction Act of 2011
HOUSE: ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
HB 470 Higher Education - Tuition Charges - Maryland High School Students
HB 757 Md Higher Ed Commission - Dev of an Educational Program to Aid Unemployed
State Residents
HB 758 Green Technology, Life Science, and Health Info Technology Loan Assistance
Repayment Program
HB 871 Education - General Assembly Scholarships -Modification of Programs
HOUSE: WAYS AND MEANS
MARCH 10 @ 8:00 am
SB 844 State Retirement and Pension System - Transfer of Service Credit
HB 176 State Retirement and Pension System - Reemployment of Retirees - Exemptions
HB 249 State Retirement and Pension System - Direct Mailings by Retiree Organizations
HB 333 State Retirement and Pension System -Administration - Simplification
HB 335 State Retirement and Pension System -- Military Service Credit - Eligibility
HB 338 State Ret and Pension System - Unclaimed Money - Former Members, Retirees,
and Beneficiaries
Senate: Budget and Taxation Committee
MARCH 15 @ 1:00 pm
SB 856 Review of Academic Program Proposals
Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs
HB 1156 Northeastern Maryland Higher Education and Applied Technology Center
House: Appropriations
MARCH 16 @ 1:00 pm
HB 1078 Expressive Activity on State Property
House: Health and Government Operations
MARCH 17 @ 1:15 pm
SB 725 Tuition Cap and College Opportunity Act of 2011
Senate: Budget and Taxation/Education, Health and Environmental Affairs
For more bill information, please click here.
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