Uncovered: Faculty Governance
Something like this...
We’re deviating from the plan already, but we’ve been tipped off by many of you to something which we believe warrants the “Uncovered” title.
Faculty governance, which one may assume doesn’t affect them as a student, is an issue which reaches throughout the entirety of the institute. If your professors don’t have any means to officially assemble, they can’t truthfully express what they (as experts) think is best academically for the institute. They have no means to advocate for us students when it is needed. The opportunity to voice their opinions may not even be presented to them without an official body.
Now, you may be thinking why should I care? And quite frankly, you don’t have to.But if you’d like to know more about this whole faculty governance debacle, there is a VERY comprehensive article (pdf, 22 pages) written by two (hopefully tenured) RPI professors which you may want to take a look at (especially you student government geeks.) The article goes into the history of governance at RPI, and continues through to the present day situation. It was published as part of the new AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, which aims to be the “one place to track the developing international discussion about academic freedom and its collateral issues.” Sounds good to us.
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Last time I checked, Campbell is not tenured – don’t know about Koretz but I’m so happy they wrote this. If one/both aren’t back next year we will know why and should make a VERY big deal about it.
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/facsen/2004-2005/Minutes/12-15-2004Minutes.htm
The problems started I think even earlier than the paper cites…
Koretz is probably on her way out due to retirement. Also, what is the current state of this issue? The paper takes it up thru F09 but doesn’t comment as to further action, if any, to be taken on the matter. I’m graduating this semester, but I want to leave knowing that a) the foreign language issue is resolved and b) that there is hope for faculty governance. I doubt I’ll get either.
@Lindy Hop
I’m curious to find out what the AAUP does when they’re here in regards to faculty governance–there’s really no in between on that though. It’ll either be good or bad or completely ineffective. Foreign language will be resolved, it’s just a very different platform supposedly (as in, we won’t have a typical classroom + professor lecture). Though that also means those professors for languages won’t be returning. At least it’s something?