UNCG AAUP

03/16/2024

https://greensboro.com/news/local/education/uncg-no-confidence-provost-chancellor-falculty-program-cuts/article_98cd2736-e2eb-11ee-90df-2bed8380667c.html

UNCG’s faculty passed a resolution of no confidence in Provost Debbie Storrs on Wednesday, in continuing fallout from the university’s decision earlier this year to eliminate 20 academic programs.

03/03/2024

02/19/2024

UNCG's reputation around the country is at risk!

02/13/2024

Please take the time to read this excellent blog post by Dr. Jim Coleman. In it, he thoroughly critiques misinformation being spread by the current administration and its spokespeople about the role and response of UNCG faculty to the current "Academic Portfolio Review." Coleman also interrogates the relationship between the professed goals and proposed solutions of this APR process.

I find it frustrating to read the many news articles and op-eds around UNCG's academic portfolio review process. On one side the Chancellor, Provost and VCFA are portrayed by themselves, and by their...

01/25/2024

UNCG_AAUP Statement In support of Dr. Chuck Bolton's Courageous Resignation:

Profile in Courage: Associate Dean Chuck Bolton models how administrators can maintain their integrity in the face of dishonest and egregious acts of power and abuse by their superiors. Resign. Tell the truth. Don't let them get away with it. The UNCG AAUP applauds and thanks Bolton for his dedication to the university.

Chuck has been a dedicated servant leader for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). He led department heads and the dean with thoughtful wisdom and care for faculty, staff and students. He understood the complexity of the university and used that understanding to make thoughtful decisions. His effective communication of the rationale behind decisions build tremendous trust in CAS. We wish the provost understood those values. Chuck will be dearly missed as Associate Dean.

If you wish to reach out to Dr. Bolton directly to express your support, his email address is: [email protected]

01/20/2024

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2Uz0GROXGM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

CLICK the link to see what we are working for!!

01/20/2024

From the Faculty Senate at UNCG - (They want transparency and to vote on proposed cuts as stated in the faculty constitution.)

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Faculty Senate

Position Statement on Role of Faculty Senate


WHEREAS, Faculty Senate passed Resolution #11012023.2 on November 1, 2023, that placed a request to the Chancellor that one Senator from each unit attends “all administrative deliberative meetings during phases 2 and 3 of the Academic Portfolio Review (APR)” as observers and “report back to the Faculty Senate about deliberations on the APR;” and

WHEREAS, on November 20, 2023, the Chancellor issued a statement in which he did not approve of Senate Resolution #11012023.2 (See attached); and

WHEREAS, the Chancellor did not offer the Faculty Senate any amendment or alternatives to Senate Resolution #11012023.2 to negotiate an acceptable compromise for Faculty Senate members’ involvement in the APR process; and

WHEREAS, the Chancellor in his response wrote that he and the Provost “share a commitment to continue consulting with you throughout the review and to consider your input as a core element of my ultimate decision-making. Although University policy does not prescribe this provision, it’s critical to us that your voices and insights help inform the process and outcomes;” and

WHEREAS, the SACSCOC 2018 Accreditation Standards, which UNC Greensboro abides by, establishes the need for faculty input in academic decision-making. Specifically, it reads that “Because student learning is central to the institution’s mission and education degrees, the faculty is responsible for directing the learning enterprise.” In the Educational Standards section, it lays out that, “The institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty;” and

WHEREAS, the UNC System Code states that “the chancellor shall ensure the establishment of appropriate procedures within the institution to provide members of the faculty the means to give advice with respect to means of academic policy and institutional governance, with particular emphasis upon matters of curriculum;” and

WHEREAS, the General Faculty Constitution states that “UNC Greensboro has elected to establish a Faculty Senate to advise the Chancellor regarding questions of academic policy and institutional governance with emphasis on matters of the undergraduate curriculum;” and

WHEREAS, the UNC Greensboro Promotion, Tenure, and Academic Freedom regulations state that “when the institution is considering a major curtailment in or elimination of a teaching, research, or public-service program, the Chancellor shall first seek the advice and recommendations of the academic administrative officers and faculties of the departments, academic programs, or academic units that might be affected, and of the Faculty Senate;” and

WHEREAS, in his memo to the AAUP Executive Committee on December 12, 2023, Chancellor Gilliam wrote that “The Faculty Senate, as the representative body of our faculty, has provided many opportunities for dialogue and will continue to do so in January” and that the AAUP “work collaboratively with the Senate, the elected and formal representative of the body of the faculty” (See attached).

WHEREAS, the opportunities for dialogue that the Chancellor described have primarily consisted of presentations about the process of curricular review and program closures, rather than a collaborative process in which the Faculty Senate provides its advice, recommendations, and insights.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate respectfully disagrees with the Chancellor’s statement on November 20, 2023, that university policy does not provide a provision for consultation with Faculty Senate on matters of the academic curriculum.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate affirms the Chancellor’s statements that the Senate is the “elected and formal representative of the body of the faculty” (December 12, 2023) and that it is “critical” that the Senate’s “voices and insights help inform the process and outcomes” of the APR (November 20, 2023).

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate respectfully disagrees with the Chancellor’s statement (December 12, 2023) that the Faculty Senate has provided many opportunities for dialogue that allowed the Senate’s voices and insights to inform the APR process and outcomes.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate affirms the SACSCOC Accreditation Standards that “Because student learning is central to the institution’s mission and education degrees, the faculty is responsible for directing the learning enterprise” and that “The institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty.”

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chancellor and the Provost seek the advice and recommendations of the Faculty Senate in matters of academic curriculum and potential program and departmental closures in accordance with the SACSCOC Accreditation Standards, the UNC System Code, the UNC Greensboro General Faculty Constitution, and the UNC Greensboro Promotion, Tenure, and Academic Freedom regulations.

01/20/2024

Statement on proposed cuts from UNCG AAUP - American Association of University Professors.

"The proposed list of cuts released by the Chancellor overwhelmingly targets the College of Arts and Sciences, chipping away at UNCG’s promise of a well-rounded liberal arts education that will prepare students for our global world. Departments like Religious Studies and Anthropology teach students about global cultures and diverse ways of understanding the world around us. Our popular offerings in foreign languages such as Chinese and Russian help prepare students to build bridges across cultural divides. Public institutions must be run with transparency, yet there has been no rationale provided for why these particular cuts were recommended. In fact, the list released doesn’t correlate with the APR process that we followed. Some of the programs and departments targeted for elimination were not flagged as underperforming by the APR rubrics or even reviewed by the faculty committees charged with recommending cuts. To implement this list of cuts would be a dangerous precedent that would undermine UNCG’s administration’s commitment to shared governance and transparency. Eliminating programs and departments that are core to the university’s mission without any rationale for their termination is irresponsible. We must have a full accounting of the decision-making so that a robust campus dialogue about the implications of these proposals can take place."

01/20/2024

SHOCKED - UNCG Faculty and Students. The administration continues to push their agenda to eliminate programs that represent our mission, values and community.

Featured photo: James Roberts (Jampp…, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons UPDATED (1/19, 5:30 p.m.): A univ

12/20/2023

Update on AAUP's Petition Against Program Elimination!

On December 4, 2023, AAUP submitted its “Petition to End Program Elimination” to the Chancellor, Provost, Deans and Faculty Senate with over 3912 signees, including 1639 current undergraduates, 203 current graduate students, 957 alumni and 188 faculty. On December 11, 2023, the Chancellor and Provost responded and declined our request to end the APR process. Their full response can be read here.

We are disappointed that the administration continues to ignore the widespread disapproval of this process across campus and the untrustworthiness of the data being used a justification for eliminating faculty and programs. Moreover, the rationale for eliminating programs continues to be vague and unconvincing. As we pointed out in our message to them, the central contention of the Bunsis report that UNCG is in solid financial condition and possesses considerable flexible reserves to deal with financial emergencies should they arise remains unrefuted by the administration.

When given a chance to demonstrate the budgetary deficits or other extreme circumstances which necessitates the firing of faculty, the administration, once again, opted rather to obfuscate referencing only the possibility of impending “headwinds” and the need “to put the University on solid academic and financial footing for the next 10 to 20 years” despite the fact that APR offers nothing of the sort since there are no informed projections about the long-term (or short-term) impact of cuts. Indeed, the evidence from other institutions that have imposed drastic cuts in the current climate is that it leads directly to enrollment loss and reputational decline that causes more instability.

We are somewhat heartened, however, that the Chancellor and Provost profess to “respect the mission of AAUP” and to respect the “authority of the Faculty Senate.” They urge AAUP members to communicate our concerns to our elected campus leaders who will be given opportunities to voice faculty concerns as the final decisions are made. We have done just that and we encourage all members of the faculty to speak to their campus leaders and attend Faculty forums in the Spring Semester. Moreover, we implore the administration to continue listening to Faculty leadership and to include them in the APR in the meaningful ways which our governing policies demand.

12/11/2023

Reposted from concerneduncggradstudents
Starting the week off strong with news of a resolution approved by the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences. Take a look at what it says and why students should be paying attention!!
Quotes are directly from the Resolution itself.