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Past Projects of Importance

Executive Committee Meetings
: May 22, 2007

March 27, 2007
February 27, 2007; January 23, 2007; December 12, 2006; November 15, 2006; October 24, 2006; September 18, 2006; June 7, 2006; March 27, 2006; February 27 , 2006; January 23, 2006

November 28 , 2005; October 31 , 2005; August 30 , 2005; July 7, 2005; May 19, 2005
April 27, 2005
March 30, 2005
February 28, 2005
January 24, 2005

December 6, 2004
October 25, 2004
September 27, 2004

April 21, 2004
February 23, 2004
January 26, 2004

December 8, 2003
November 10, 2003
October 15, 2003
September 8, 2003
July 16, 2003
June 4, 2003
May 12, 2003
March 31, 2003
March 10, 2003
February 17, 2003


Chapter Newsletters: Volume 5, No. 3, March 30, 2007

Volume 5, No. 2, December 22, 2006; Volume 5, No. 1; Volume 4, No. 3, March 31, 2006; Volume 4, No. 2, December 12, 2005; Volume 4, No. 1, September 20, 2005; Volume 3, No. 4, May 19, 2005; Volume 3, No. 3, March 11, 2005; Volume 3, No. 2, December 13, 2004; Volume 3, No. 1, October 7, 2004; Volume 2, No. 4, June 17, 2004

Volume 2, No. 3, March 8, 2004
Volume 2, No. 2, December 12, 2003
Volume 2, No. 1, September 3, 2003
Volume 1, No. 1, May 9, 2003

Legislative Forum with League of Women Voters

Spring Symposium on Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor (copy of handout from 2006)
co-sponsored with the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost

Monday, April 9, 2007, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, S401 Pappajohn Business Building (PBB)
For more information, contact Lois Cox.

Susan Johnson, Associate Provost for Faculty
David Baldus, Professor of Law and member, AAUP Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure
Brooks Landon, former Chair of the Department of English
Cynthia Joyce, Ombudsperson
Brooks Landon, Chair of the Department of English

Spring Chapter Meeting and State Conference Meeting Combined

Annual Chapter Meeting
Meredith Hay, Vice President for Research

May 6, 2006, 10:00 am, Lindquist Room, lower level of Sherato

League of Women Voters Forum
co-sponsored with the UI Government Relations Committee, Iowans for Health Care, and
the Iowa City Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

featuring elected representatives from the Iowa House of Representatives and the Iowa Senate April 29, 2006, 9:30 am, chamber of the Iowa City City Council, 410 E. Washington Street

Iowa Conference Meeting
Cathy Jones, National AAUP Membership Director

addressed current issues facing our organization in terms of the academic bill of rights controversy, college educational funding, and legislative bills relating to tenure evaluation April 22, 2006, 9:00 am, Grandview College, Des Moines Krumm Business Center, corner of Grandview Ave and East 13th Street For more information, contact Frank Thompson.

Spring Symposium on Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor (copy of handout)
co-sponsored with the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost: April 19, 2006, W401 Pappajohn Business Building (PBB)
Informal Reception 6:30 - 7:00 pm, Program 7:00 - 9:00 pm
For more information, contact Lois Cox.

Susan Johnson, Associate Provost for Faculty
David Baldus, Professor of Law and member, AAUP Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure
Brooks Landon, former Chair of the Department of English
Cynthia Joyce, Ombudsperson
Craig Porter, Ombudsperson and Professor of Pediatrics

Fall Reception

Friday, September 23, 2005, 5:00 - 7:00 pm, City Park Shelter #12

Annual Meeting (minutes)

May 7, 2005, 10:00 am, IMU State Room, Provost Michael Hogan

State Conference Meeting

April 16 , 2005, Drake University

Spring Symposium on Promotion and Tenure
co-sponsored with the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost

April 6, 2005, Pappajohn Business Building (PBB) Informal Reception 6:30 - 7:00 pm, Program 7:00 - 8:30 pm Professor David Baldus, College of Law Associate Provost Lee Anna Clark, Office of the Provost Professor Dorothy Johnson, DEO, Department of Art and Art History Professor Lon Moeller, College of Business, and University Ombudsperson

Ethical Perspectives on the News

Jeff Cox was a panelist on this TV show moderated by Cedric Lofdahl for a discussion of academic freedom. The show is aired by KCRG channel 9 at 9:00 am Sundays.

Black Hawk College: Ed Kottick spoke at their spring symposium on academic freedom, April 5, 2005.

Fall Social for New Faculty

November 9, 2004, Iowa Memorial Union

State Conference Meeting

October 9, 2004, at the University of Iowa, IMU
National AAUP President Jane Buck, Ph.D., spoke on, "The Use and Abuse of Contingent Faculty."

Panelists: Susan R. Johnson, MD, Professor and
Director of the Carver College of Medicine's Collegiate Productivity Consulting Service
Lon D. Moeller, Clinical Associate Professor and UI Co-Ombudsperson
Peter J. Hansen, Visiting Assistant Professor and UI AAUP Chapter President
Patrick B. Oray, Graduate Assistant and
President of the UI's Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS)

Spring Chapter Meeting 2004 (minutes)

May 1, 2004, IMU
Robert Downer, J.D., local attorney and member of the Board of Regents,
spoke on, "The Future of Higher Public Education in Iowa and Beyond: A Regential Perspective."

Spring Symposium on Promotion and Tenure co-sponsored with the University of Iowa Faculty Senate (copy of 2004 handout)

What You Need to Know to Succeed in the System
(Suggestions for both Tenure-Track and Clinical-Track Faculty)
March 31, 2004, Seamans Center,
Informal Reception 6:30 - 7:00 pm, Program 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Panelists: Lois Cox, Moderator
Pat Cain, Acting Provost
Lee Anna Clark, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
Mark Schantz, General Counsel
Lon Moeller, University Ombusperson
David Baldus, College of Law and AAUP Committee A
Margaret Raymond, Faculty Senate President
Jeffrey Cox, past Faculty Senate President

State Conference Meeting

March 26-27, 2004, at UNI
AAUP designated the Iowa Spring Conference as a national forum on academic freedom and the challenges faced in higher education, particularly in relation to the Drake University subpoenas.

Mary Burgan, Secretary General to AAUP, spoke on, "AAUP and the
Tradition of Academic Freedom."

Sally Frank, Professor of Law at Drake University, spoke on, "The
Chronology of Events at Drake University and Their Implications to
Academic Freedom and Faculty/Student Rights in Higher Education."

Joan Scott, Chair of the AAUP Committee on Academic Freedom, and the
Harold F. Lindner Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at
Princeton, spoke on, "An Historical View of Academic Freedom as a
Fundamental Building Block in Higher Education."

Fall Social for New Faculty: November 7, 2003, Iowa Memorial Union

Spring Chapter Meeting

April 19, 2003, Iowa Memorial Union, speaker President David Skorton

Past Projects and Issues of Importance

Presidential Search AAUP encourages greater University involvement in the search for a new president. Prior presidents were selected on the basis of recommendations from search committees chaired by faculty members. The membership of these committees was also dominated by faculty members. To replace David Skorton, however, the Board of Regents has appointed Teresa Wahlert, president and chief operating officer of the Mid-America Group, as chairwoman of the presidential search committee. This committee was eventually disbanded. See Faculty Senate links to reports in the media.

In response to the recent Faculty Senate vote of “no confidence” in the leadership of the Board of Regents, the Executive Committee adopted the following resolution on December 12, 2006, which it shared with Faculty Senate and the press.

AAUP RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF FACULTY SENATE VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS

WHEREAS the University of Iowa Faculty Senate, by a near-unanimous vote, today expressed its lack of confidence in the leadership of the Board of Regents, and

WHEREAS Regents Gartner and Wahlert have repeatedly demonstrated their disdain for the faculty, staff, and students of the University of Iowa, as well as their inability or unwillingness to conduct the sort of open search process likely to produce a university president in whom the various University of Iowa constituencies may repose trust, and

WHEREAS Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz, in his address to Faculty Senate, eloquently marshaled the evidence that Regents Gartner and Wahlert have misused the power reposed in them to exercise leadership in higher education in the State of Iowa,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Executive Committee of the University of Iowa chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) hereby expresses its strong support for the Resolution of No Confidence in the Leadership of the Board of Regents.
The Board of Regents and Strategic Change for Iowa's Universities Members of the Board of Regents have expressed some disturbing views on the role of higher education in our state. See statements from Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz and AAUP's Professor Emeritus James G Andrews. "Strategic change" initiatives have been spearheaded by Board of Regents President Michael Gartner both here at the University of Iowa and, with the assistance of Regent Teresa Wahlert and the presidents of the three Regents universities, at the state level. The Kurtz memo describes the Senate's decision to call for greater openness and the inclusion of other stakeholders' points of view in strategic planning. The Faculty Senate's resolution to that effect and related links are posted on the Senate's website. The AAUP Executive Committee shares the Senate's concerns and hopes that the Regents' current approach to strategic change can be revised. In addition, however, the Executive Committee fears that the approach now being pursued by Regents Gartner and Wahlert undercuts this university's traditional commitment to shared governance. Executive Committee member and Emeritus Professor James Andrews has drafted a memo critiquing the top down business approach to strategic change chosen by Regent Gartner, and contrasting it with the shared governance approach advocated by AAUP. The Executive Committee endorses the views expressed in the Andrews memo, and has forwarded it to Senate President Kurtz with a request that it be distributed to faculty members.

Please review the Andrews memo and forward it to as many of your colleagues as you can. The Executive Committee is eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions as to what additional steps AAUP should take at this precarious point in our community's evolution.
Mandatory Reporting of Sexual Harassment AAUP had expressed concern that the current sexual harassment policy was unclear regarding the responsibilities of individual faculty members in reporting allegations of sexual harassment, especially when the complainant has approached them in confidence and does not wish to take further action. Faculty supposedly had a responsibility to report any allegations of sexual harassment to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, even if alleged by a third party or if the alleged victim requested that no action be taken.

On April 12, 2005, Charlotte Westerhaus announced an update to the University of Iowa Policy on Sexual Harassment. 1) The definition of “academic or administrative officers” was refined. Faculty members are not considered “academic or administrative officers” except for those with administrative responsibilities at the level of DEO or higher, and those who act as Director of Undergraduate or Graduate Studies in their department or college. 2) A “supervisor” is now defined as one who has the authority to undertake or recommend tangible employment decisions affecting an employee, or to direct the employee’s daily work activities. Further information on the updates is available on the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity’s web page.
Paticipation Credit for Athletes Concern has been raised over the awarding of academic credit to athletes for participation in competitive sports. In response to an article in the Washington Post of August 26, Peter Hansen wrote a letter to committee chairs at the University of Iowa urging a re-examination of this policy. The Academic Achievement Advisory Subcommittee of the Presidential Committee on Athletics has written a letter of response explaining current policy.
Ward Churchill Controversy A firestorm of protests has erupted over the public remarks of Professor Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Churchill used the term "little Eichmanns" to characterize some of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. In his defense, Churchill has written, "I am not a 'defender' of the September 11 attacks, but simply pointing out that if U.S. foreign policy results in massive death and destruction abroad, we cannot feign innocence when some of that destruction is returned." And also, "I have never characterized all the September 11 victims as 'Nazis.' What I said was that the 'technocrats of empire' working in the World Trade Center were the equivalent of 'little Eichmanns.'" Not surprisingly, many Americans have been deeply offended by Churchill's remarks and are calling for him to be sacked. Never, however, is the importance of academic freedom of greater consequence than when defending the most unpopular views. The AAUP has a statement on its website (http://www.aaup.org/newsroom/Newsitems/churchill.htm) that concludes by saying, "The critical test of academic freedom is its capacity to meet even the most painful and offending statements. A college or university campus is, of all places in our society, the most appropriate forum for the widest range of viewpoints."

On Tuesday, March 8, 2005, the Executive Committee of the UI Chapter of AAUP adopted the following resolution and forwarded it to the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado.

"It is hereby RESOLVED that, academic freedom being a core value of higher education, particularly public higher education, that freedom of inquiry and open debate are central to academic freedom, that Prof. Ward Churchill's radical critique of the events of September 11, 2001 falls within the scope of academic freedom, and that the ongoing investigation into Prof. Churchill's scholarship and credentials, as well as the personal vilification of him and death threats made against him, were prompted by his voicing that radical critique, the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS urges the University of Colorado to desist from any actions that may adversely affect Prof. Churchill's tenured status on the basis of his critique, to refrain from scrutinizing his employment in any ways different from those applied to other tenured faculty members, and to re-affirm its commitment to academic freedom, tenure, shared governance, and due process."

On Wednesday, March 9, a virtually identical resolution was adopted by the UI Faculty Senate and forwarded to the University of Colorado Board of Regents.
Inclusion of 3- year reviews in the Promotion and Tenure Dossiers The Provost's Office has recommended that 3-year reviews be included as part of the dossiers of candidates for promotion. The Executive Committee considered many arguments both for and against this idea, and decided not to take a formal position on the issue.
Faculty Involvement in COGS Negotiations Richard Valentine has presented several arguments supporting faculty participation in the collective bargaining process between the Regents/University Administration and COGS (collective bargaining unit of graduate students). The primary need is to ensure that the Regents and UI administrators properly consider the implications of any agreement that is imposed on the faculty and to address faculty concerns appropriately. AAUP has written a letter to the Research Council expressing concern over several areas that directly affect faculty.
Incentive Program for Professional and Scientific Staff to Reward Employee Excellence The University issued a news release on May 6, 2005:

The University of Iowa is trying out a new reward program for its Professional and Scientific (P&S) staff. The one-year pilot program will permit departments to reward non-organized P&S staff with a lump sum financial award throughout the year for exceptional performance.
"Research has proven this type of flexible pay program is a win-win for both employees and managers," said Sue Buckley, UI director of human resources. "This type of immediate award for outstanding work has proven to be highly motivating to employees, and managers appreciate having more flexibility in recognizing excellent work." The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the pilot program at its April meeting.

Under the new program, eligible employees may receive up to 10 percent of their base salary in a flexible pay reward during a 12-month period. All regular, non-organized P&S employees who have been in a regular position for six months and who have a current above average performance evaluation on file would be eligible. UI Central Human Resources is now working with each college and division to develop specific guidelines on how the program will be implemented at the local level.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500.

CONTACTS: Media: Charles S. Drum, 319-384-0048, charles-drum@uiowa.edu;
Program: Sue Buckley, 319-335-3558, susan-buckley@uiowa.edu
Letter to the Editor published in the Des Moines Register of May 8, 2005, in response to Governor Vilsack's comments that professors need to play a greater role in economic development in the state:

"On behalf of the University of Iowa chapter of the American Association of University Professors, I write in response to Gov. Tom Vilsack's comments to David Yepsen ("Regents Face Daunting Task," April 24). The governor's comments betray a fundamental misunderstanding of the purposes of higher education.
For decades, public research universities have played a key role in promoting economic development in Iowa. This has happened, not because professors have become entrepreneurs or have started businesses on campus, but rather as an indirect result of the basic research and teaching done by faculty members.

To be sure, some faculty members have contributed to the state's economic well-being through the development of patents, copyrights and other forms of intellectual property, and the teaching of entrepreneurial skills. We support those efforts. But most of the universities' contributions have been made by faculty members teaching their students and conducting their research. Entrepreneurs and other Iowans have made use of the results of that research and teaching in order to start businesses and create jobs, and to engage in many other equally worthwhile activities.

With a few exceptions, faculty are not qualified to be entrepreneurs. We are qualified, by our training and experience, to perform the research and teaching upon which economic development depends, and to educate Iowans to be well informed citizens.

If Governor Vilsack and the Legislature continue to starve our public research universities of the resources needed to do those jobs, economic development will flow to other states where political leaders understand the indirect, long-term and often unpredictable relationship between research, teaching and economic development."

-Lois Cox,
vice president, University of Iowa chapter, AAUP, Iowa City

Vandalism of Seashore Hall and Spence Laboratories The Executive Committee voted to lend its support to the statement prepared by Faculty Senate deploring the vandalism in Seashore Hall and Spence Labs. In addition, AAUP made a financial contribution to the publication of the statement in local newspapers.
Salary Incentive Plan The College of Medicine has adopted a new salary incentive plan to extend the current policies for clinical faculty to include faculty in basic science departments. The College of Pharmacy has also adopted a similar plan. A sub-committee of David Baldus, Samir Bishara, and Katherine Tachau drafted a formal position statement on salary incentive plans. A recent article in Science magazine discussed this same subject.

The Faculty Senate adopted AAUP recommendations at their meeting of March 23, 2004. Recommendations included 1) a moratorium on expansion of existing plans or adoption of additional salary incentive plans, 2) appointment of a committee to assess the propriety of such plans in general and recommend guidelines should the University decide to continue utilizing them, and 3) a formal evaluation of existing plans.
Research Track The Office of the Provost appointed a committee chaired by Allyn Mark, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Medicine, to evaluate the advantages of a non-tenure research track for faculty. The Research Faculty Track Committee Report was issued in March, 2002. Committee A has written a formal position statement opposing creation of such a non-tenure research track and analyzing arguments both for and against a research track.

The Faculty Senate declined to consider the general issue absent a detailed description of the proposed research track and specific information about its implementation and function.

A committee has been appointed to develop such a detailed proposal.
Revision of Promotion and Tenure Procedures A committee chaired by Elizabeth Altmaier was appointed to evaluate current Guidelines for Tenure and Promotion Decision-Making. This evaluation was scheduled when revised guidelines were implemented 5 years ago. AAUP members David Baldus, Katherine Tachau, and Ruth Wachtel met with the committee and submitted a formal list of suggested changes. The committee submitted their report discussing possible changes in June, 2003.

David Baldus of Committee A was a member of a new committee that proposed specific changes to the language and wording of the current guidelines. A list of changes and the proposed new version of the guidelines were submitted to the Faculty Senate on April 27, 2004,
and are posted on their website.
Decanal Reviews Dave Baldus and Ekhard Ziegler were members of a committee evaluating the process by which deans are reviewed. The committee drafted a policy document recommending changes in the decanal review process. After minor modifications by the Faculty Senate, the new policy was sent to President Skorton for his approval on March 23, 2004.
Review of the Office of the Provost The Provost Review Committee reconvened in June, 2004, to determine the extent to which the recommendations contained in the Committee’s April, 2002, report have been or are being implemented (per UI Operations Manual, 28.4 Reviews of Central Administration).

last updated July 13, 2007
University of Iowa Chapter
American Association of University Professors
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