The APSU chapter of AAUP was officially chartered by the national office in May, 1997. Currently there are thirty-five members of the chapter (peak membership was approximately eighty).
During the fall semester of 1998 the APSU chapter was selected national "chapter of the month" with an article on its work featured in AAUP Statelines (Winter 1998). The chapter was cited for the speed of its organization and the significance of the issues in academic governance it raised on this campus.
The APSU chapter tries to organize the bulk of its work around local committees addressing fundamental questions of academic freedom and the professional status of the faculty. Current committees are: (1) Academic Freedom and Tenure, (2) Economic and Professional Status, (3) Discrimination, (4) Academic Governance, and (5) Political Relations.
The Spring 2011 meeting of TUFS (Tennessee University Faculty Senates) is scheduled for March 25-27 at APSU. Click here for details.
APSU's AAUP Chapter Activities during academic year 2008-2009:
1. The Chapter co-sponsored Dr. Bruce Barry, Vanderbilt University, March 31, 2009, speaking on his new book having to do with Speech in the Workplace. He will speak specifically to speech on campus with both a faculty and student perspective. We are hosting the meeting and luncheon on March 31.
2. The Chapter has developed a strong mutually supportive relationship with the APSU Faculty Senate. Several AAUP Chapter officers are on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. The chapter president this year has had significant dialogue with the Senate president regarding budgetary issues, personnel problems and shared governance with APSU's President Hall. AAUP has had a seat at the table in making budgetary decisions for the university in this time of financial budget squeezes.
3. The Chapter gave a presentation to new faculty concerning the role of AAUP as distinguished from Faculty Senate. Recruiting efforts were made but with limited success.
4. The Chapter has acted as one of the major conduits for information regarding the TBR Chancellor's proposed New Business Model.
5. The Chapter was also represented in a lunch with one of the local legislators on the Higher Education Committee.
Report by Phillip R. Kemmerly, President, APSU Chapter of AAUP,. Professor of Geology
A note from Delphia Harris, President, Tennessee Conference - AAUP, December 10, 2008
On November 20th, Dr. Charles W. Manning, Chancellor of the TBR System, presented a proposal for consideration that would completely change the role of faculty in TBR institutions and the means by which the curriculum is delivered. The proposal is posted on our website. http://www.aaup-tnconf.org/TBR_New_Business_Model2008.pdf In addition, the Board of Regents is considering unpaid furloughs and other measures for cutting costs.
The Tennessee Conference of the AAUP responded quickly by:
· Forming an e-mail discussion group.
· Establishing a legislative agenda for our lobbyist and for individual contact.
· Articulating AAUP Principles for approaching budget issues.
· Developing responses to the Chancellor’s proposal.
· Posting related articles and reports of interest.
All of these resources were offered to administrators, regents, and faculty senates. They can be viewed on our AAUP TN Conference website at
http://www.aaup-tnconf.org/aaup_tnconf_aaup_TBR_new_bus_model_responses.html .
The work is not finished. In-depth discussions are being held at each institution. Over the coming weeks we will continue to work with and support faculty senates and the Faculty Subcouncil. We will host a working meeting for TBR and UT faculty to be held at MTSU in February (the date is yet to be determined).
I just wanted to update you on some of the current work of the Tennessee Conference and remind you that as you face difficult situations on your campus you are not alone.
In support of higher education in Tennessee, Delphia Harris, President, Tennessee Conference - AAUP
(901)435-1380 (office) & (901)219-4801 (cell)
The APSU Chapter of AAUP has a Legal Aid Referral System. Attorney Nick Tooley serves in this capacity for APSU members of the AAUP and for cases the chapter refers to him. First consultations are free. After that, there is a 25% reduction in fees, so that one hour out-of-court costs $112.50 and one hour in-court costs $131.25. Tooley may be reached at 215 Franklin Street, Suite 103, and by phone at 920-3284. Tooley's web address is: www.tooleylaw.com. Tooley graduated in history from APSU.
Annual dues for AAUP membership can be deducted by payroll deduction - annually, quarterly or monthly. Download form here.
| Dues for new member | Dues for Full-time faculty | Dues for Part-time faculty |
| $ 94/yr | $ 188/yr | $ 46/yr |
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MESSAGE TO NONMEMBERS: If you’ve been reading the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Inside Higher Education, or the Chronicle of Higher Education over the last year, then you know that the AAUP is increasingly visible and influential. In fact, accounts of our work have recently appeared in Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Finnish, Hungarian, French, German, Dutch and other languages. When Virginia’s attorney general tried to launch a fishing expedition into university files, we were there. When BP tried to embargo Gulf area oil spill research, we were there. When universities tried to misrepresent the state of their finances, we were there. The need for our vigilance over academic freedom and shared governance issues grows greater every month. Now it is time for you to join us in our efforts. If you’ve been reading our emails, you’ve taken the first step toward building a relationship with the thousands of your colleagues who already support and participate in our work. Now we invite you to come on board. We want to help keep higher education afloat. We want American higher education to remain the principled and high quality enterprise it has been and can continue to be. But you all know those values are threatened. Our new dues structure—just announced this month [September, 2010]—makes AAUP membership less expensive for many of you. Is academic freedom worth $5, $10, or $15 a month? We think it is. AAUP membership is the premier insurance policy for the profession. With your help, we are prepared to expand our reach still further. But it costs money to draft our legal briefs. It costs money to send our investigators and organizers across the country. Joining the AAUP is the most cost effective way you have to promote higher education’s pivotal role in our democracy. Take advantage of our special introductory offer for new members. Join today and receive new member status through December 2011 – up to 16 months – while paying only the annual, 12-month rate: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/involved/join/ Join Today! Cary Nelson, AAUP President |
Tennessee Conference of AAUP
Tennessee Conference of AAUP website
2010 Tennessee Conference of AAUP
The AAUP State Conference Fall Meeting will be Saturday, October 2, at TTU in Cookeville.
Announcement and Registration Details
TN Conference Fall 2010 Newsletter
Tennessee Conference AAUP,
Spring Meeting
March 19 – 20, 2010
Volunteer State Community
College
Gallatin, Tennessee
Announcement and Registration Details and 2009 Newsletters
The fall meeting of the TN Conference of the AAUP was held at APSU in Clarksville on October 30–31, 2009. We invited faculty from Kentucky to join us for the meeting: Tenets of Tenure. Friday evening the conference began with a forum for faculty of community colleges. Immediately following the forum was a social gathering with dinner and a ceremony recognizing the contributions of Kurt Eisen who has served for many years as the Chair of the Government Relations Committee. Saturday began with registration and the Tennessee Conference Business Meeting. The General Secretary of the National AAUP, Gary Rhoades, along with other distinguished faculty members served on a panel to lead a discussion on tenure.
Presidential Address by Tony Blasi (sociology, TSU): "What Are We For?"
Announcement and Registration Details
Announcement and Registration Details
The Spring 2000 meeting of the Tennessee Conference of AAUP was at The University of the South, at Sewanee, on April 8th, 2000.
Other References
AAUP at APSU
c/o P. Kemmerly, Geology, Campus Box 4418
Austin Peay State University
Clarkesville, TN 37044br
or
c/o P. Stoddard, Social Work, Campus Box 4656
Austin Peay State University
Clarkesville, TN 37044
For comments or suggestions, contact
thompsonj@apsu.edu
Last updated on March 5, 20101