The Association's Ninetieth Annual Meeting was held June 10-13, 2004, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. The theme of the meeting, "A Decade of Challenge," looked back on Mary Burgan's ten years as general secretary. (She retired from the AAUP in June.) In attendance were 277 active members and guests, including delegates from 42 chapters and 28 state conferences, nondelegate members, field staff, and visitors. Jane Buck, president of the Association, presided at the meeting. Kerry Grant served as parliamentarian.
June 10
On Thursday morning, June 10, the staff of the Committee on Government Relations and the committee's chair, Gerald Turkel, held an orientation for Capitol Hill Day. Approximately one hundred members participated in Capitol Hill Day, visiting members of Congress and their aides to discuss federal funding for higher education and other issues, including academic freedom and freedom of expression, civil rights, and labor law reform. A reception was held in the Rayburn House Office Building at which the Henry T. Yost Award was presented to U.S. Representative Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
The Collective Bargaining Congress (CBC) held a breakfast meeting on Thursday morning, and the Executive Committee of the Governing Council convened over lunch. In the evening, the CBC hosted a reception, an orientation for new delegates, a dinner, and a business session.
June 11
Ballots for the CBC election were cast on the morning of June 11. The Assembly of State Conferences (ASC) Executive Committee meeting was held at breakfast, and state conference presidents and executive directors also assembled Friday morning.
The TIAA-CREF Trust Company conducted an estate-planning seminar for AAUP members, led by TIAA-CREF consultant Timothy Prosser. The seminar included an overview of trusts and their use in estate planning and fulfillment of philanthropic objectives through charitable giving.
Concurrent panel sessions were held Friday morning and afternoon. One of them considered issues associated with minority-serving institutions. Benjamin Baez of Georgia State University and Marybeth Gasman of the University of Pennsylvania led the session. Svetlana Mintcheva of the National Coalition Against Censorship and Wendy Roworth of the University of Rhode Island led a panel titled "Censoring Artistic Expression." In "A Tale of Two Campuses," Ariel Anderson, Gary Matthews, and Gail Nangle of Western Michigan University spoke about collective bargaining by the AAUP chapter on their campus. Sally Frank of Drake University spoke about national security concerns on her campus.
Debra Castillo of Cornell University delivered a keynote luncheon address entitled "The Trouble with Tenure." Following lunch, the first Council session was held and panel sessions resumed. Linda Bensel-Meyer of the University of Denver, R. Scott Kretchmar of Pennsylvania State University, and Anita Levy of the AAUP national staff led a discussion on the role of faculty in athletics reform. In a session led by Joseph Losco of Ball State University and Mark Smith of the AAUP national staff, participants considered budget crises in the states and their effects on the funding of higher education. Members of the Government Relations Task Force on State Budget Issues helped conduct the session. Ann Higginbotham of Eastern Connecticut State University chaired a discussion of work and family in the academy. She was joined by David Gruber of Truman State University, Jocelyn Samuels of the National Women's Law Center, Abby Stewart of the University of Michigan, and Gail Stygall of the University of Washington. A state lobbying networking meeting was held later in the afternoon, and the ASC held its annual business sessions Friday evening.
June 12
An open microphone session during the Saturday-morning breakfast meeting with the outgoing general secretary gave participants an opportunity to share questions and comments on a range of topics. The annual meeting plenary sessions were held later that morning and in the afternoon (see Annual Meeting Sessions below).
During the plenary luncheon, Robert O'Neil of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression delivered "Academic Freedom and National Security." Also at the luncheon, the Georgina Smith Award was presented to Linda Backus, a research faculty member at the University of Vermont, and Margaret Quan, a part-time history instructor at Diablo Valley College in California.
During the afternoon plenary session, Karen Rivedal of the Wisconsin State Journal accepted the Iris Molotsky Award for Excellence in Coverage of Higher Education for her three-part series titled "Funding Higher Education." Delegates then attended breakout sessions at which the members of several committees talked about their committees' current activities. Committees holding breakout sessions were Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure; the Committee on Community Colleges; the Committee on Governance; the Committee on Teaching, Research, and Publication; and the Committee on Women in the Academic Profession. Field staff also held a meeting Saturday afternoon.
The annual meeting concluded with a banquet on Saturday evening. AAUP Presidents James Perley (1994-98), James Richardson (1998-2000), and Jane Buck (2000-06) hosted the event celebrating Mary Burgan's ten years as general secretary. Burgan offered parting thoughts.
June 13
The Council reconvened the morning of Sunday, June 13, to conclude its business.
Annual Meeting Sessions
President Jane Buck called the Ninetieth Annual Meeting to order at 9 a.m. on June 12, welcoming delegates, members, and guests. Special guests included James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, and Grahame McCulloch, general secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union of Australia, both of whom delivered greetings. Larry Gerber, chair of the Agenda Committee, introduced the plenary agenda for adoption and reviewed the Standing Rules Governing the Annual Meeting, which governs the conduct of business.
Report of the Secretary-Treasurer
Secretary-Treasurer Jeffrey Butts reported that the Association ended 2003 with a general fund deficit of $423,986, which was greater than the $216,398 deficit that had been forecasted. He noted that income was $80,000 more than anticipated, but travel for meetings and for interviews with candidates for the position of general secretary cost $112,000 more than expected. Also, at the recommendation of the auditors, $347,000 in uncollected dues owed by chapters for 2000 and portions of 2001 and 2002 was moved from accounts receivable to a new expense line in the 2003 budget called "Doubtful Account Expense." Butts noted that future adjustments, though not as large as that for fiscal 2003, will be made in keeping with a schedule recommended by the auditors.
He reported that the Association's audited fund balance of $1,758,100 for 2003 includes a $961,781 employee post-retirement health liability, a future obligation that accounting standards require to be recognized as it is incurred rather than as benefits are paid. Concerned with the rising costs of postretirement benefits, Butts said the Council has established an ad hoc committee to examine the employee benefits plan and determine if changes are needed.
He reported that the budget originally approved by Council for 2004 had a projected deficit of $249,854, but the Council recently authorized loans totaling $348,000 for the purchase of a new membership database system and amended the budget to provide for loan payments of $10,000 a month to begin in July 2004. He added that continuing efforts to reduce expenditures and increase revenues during the rest of the year are expected to yield an operating deficit for 2004 that will be less than that in the budget as amended by the Council.
Assembly of State Conferences
Thomas Guild, chair of the Assembly of State Conferences, announced the results of the ASC election the previous evening. Glenn Howze (Auburn University) was reelected as ASC secretary; Beulah Woodfin (University of New Mexico) was reelected as an at-large member of the ASC Executive Committee and will serve as ASC liaison to the Committee on Government Relations. George Lang (Fairfield University) was elected as ASC treasurer.
Guild reviewed the ASC's efforts during the past year to promote chapter and conference development. ASC-CBC Joint Leadership Training seminars were held in Dallas in October 2003 and in Denver in March 2004. The fall 2004 training seminar will be held October 23 in Columbus, Ohio.
Guild noted that each member of the ASC Executive Committee, under the Conference Communication and Assistance Program, has established ongoing communications with conference leaders in the states assigned to them and are available to offer advice and assistance. He added that the ASC Executive Committee has also begun hosting training workshops in the cities where it holds its meetings—Oklahoma City in September 2003 and Jackson, Mississippi, in February 2004. Guild encouraged AAUP leaders and members to avail themselves of the services offered by the ASC, including funds available to conferences and members to help with the costs of attending AAUP meetings and events.
Collective Bargaining Congress
Ariel Anderson, chair of the Collective Bargaining Congress, announced the results of the CBC's election of officers, including the reelection of Louis Kirschenbaum (University of Rhode Island) as CBC secretary and Carl Schaefer (University of Connecticut) as an at-large member of the CBC Executive Committee. Deanna Wood (University of New Hampshire) was elected to serve as CBC treasurer, and Sally McCracken (Eastern Michigan University) and Daniel O'Connor (Rutgers University) were elected as new at-large members of the CBC Executive Committee.
Anderson noted the efforts of the CBC to strengthen its collective bargaining chapters and to work with the ASC to establish new advocacy chapters and state conferences. She reported that the fall ASC-CBC Joint Leadership Training Workshop will be held in Ohio in a targeted effort to assist the chapters in that state. In addition, she reported that the CBC Executive Committee is scheduling its spring meeting in an area of the country where it can offer support to local leaders. The committee held its March 2004 meeting in Boston, where members participated in a rally at Emerson College by faculty engaged in a collective bargaining effort there.
Academic Freedom and Tenure
Jeffrey Halpern, member of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, presented the committee's recommendations to the 2004 annual meeting regarding the imposition and removal of censure. The body acted in accordance with the committee's recommendation to impose censure on the administration of Philander Smith College (Arkansas).
In the case of Medaille College (New York), Halpern reported the committee's recommendation that action on censure be deferred for one year. He noted that the Council concurred in that recommendation at its meeting the previous day. Extended debate ensued, in which a substitute motion calling for Medaille College to be placed on the Association's list of censured administrations failed. The body then acted in accordance with the recommendation of Committee A to defer action on censure regarding Medaille College to the 2005 annual meeting. An additional motion followed from a representative of the New York AAUP conference. It was approved by the body, as follows:
The national office staff and the New York State Conference will jointly monitor the resolution of issues concerning the dismissal of faculty members at Medaille College and the implementation of policies consistent with AAUP's standards at Medaille College. The Council will assess progress toward these goals at its November 2004 meeting and will make recommendations to the 2005 annual meeting.
Another motion was made and passed to condemn the Medaille College administration for its actions as recounted in the report of the investigating committee published in the January-February 2004 issue of Academe. A subsequent motion amended the language of the previous motion to include the institution's board of trustees. The newly worded motion passed as follows: "The AAUP condemns the Medaille College administration and trustees for their behavior as reported in the investigating committee's report."
Halpern then presented statements from Committee A recommending that Amarillo College (Texas), Houston Baptist University (Texas), and Mount Marty College (South Dakota) be removed from the Association's list of censured administrations. The body acted in accordance with the committee's recommendations.
In the matter of Olivet College (Michigan), Halpern reported the committee's recommendation that the annual meeting delegate authority to Committee A to determine the removal of censure pending the outcome of a meeting the following week of the institution's board of trustees, at which it was scheduled to consider policies recommended by the AAUP staff and approved by the faculty and administration. Halpern reported that the Council did not concur with the committee's recommendation, asserting that the authority of the annual meeting should not be delegated to another body. Halpern presented the text of a substitute motion, adopted by the Council, which concurred with the substance of Committee A's recommendation to remove the Olivet College censure, "contingent upon Committee A's verification that the board has adopted the policies that have been approved by the faculty and administration." The body then passed a motion approving removal of censure contingent upon Committee A's verifiying that the college's board had adopted those policies.
Halpern next presented an update on the status of the case of Professor Sami Al-Arian at the University of South Florida. Halpern reviewed the statement by Committee A presented to the 2003 annual meeting that faulted the USF administration for violations of AAUP-supported standards in its dismissal of Al-Arian but made no recommendation for censure at that time. Halpern noted that delegates to the 2003 annual meeting voted to return the statement to the committee for further consideration and issued a resolution condemning the USF administration for "grave departures from Association-supported standards that resulted in serious professional injury" to Al-Arian.
Halpern reported that the university has changed its procedures to require a peer hearing prior to the dismissal of a faculty member and has offered a postdismissal hearing to Al-Arian, who is currently incarcerated. Al-Arian has requested deferral of those proceedings until such time as he can participate. Noting that there are no further specific corrective actions to propose at this time, Halpern reported that Committee A staff and members will continue to monitor this situation.
Halpern subsequently reported that Committee A, at its recent meeting, directed a subcommittee to prepare a letter to the Ford Foundation regarding its new grant policies that require grantees not to promote or engage in "violence, terrorism, bigotry, or the destruction of any state." The committee also authorized a subcommittee to examine a new category of faculty appointments not eligible for tenure, known as "professors of practice," which two major research universities have adopted.
Membership
Estelle Gellman, chair of the Committee on Membership, reported the recommendations of the committee regarding the reauthorization of comprehensive dues for the following state conferences: Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The Council concurred with the committee's recommendations at its meeting the previous day (see Record of the Council in the September-October issue of Academe). The body voted to ratify the recommendations regarding comprehensive dues.
Gellman reported the Council's concurrence with the committee's recommendation to extend entrant status to part-time and graduate student members when they first apply for full-time active membership in the Association. The body voted to ratify the recommendations on this matter.
Gellman also reported the Council's approval of the committee's recommendation that all graduate student memberships carry voting privileges. The Committee on the Organization of the Association will be asked to prepare language for a proposed constitutional amendment, which, if approved by the Council in November, will be presented to the 2005 annual meeting for approval.
In announcing dues rates for 2005, Gellman explained the dues rate index as the average of the continuing faculty salary increase from the AAUP's 2004 faculty salary survey (3.1 percent) and the Consumer Price Index (1.9 percent), which yields a dues increase of 2.5 percent in 2005. In states without mandatory dues, 2005 dues will be (a) full time: $143; (b) public, associate: $108; (c) entrant, joint, retired: $72; (d) part time: $36; and (e) graduate student: $10. Gellman also outlined some of the intricacies associated with rounding in dealing with fractional-dues membership categories.
Delegates expressed concern about the cost of dues for faculty whose salaries are lower than average, and Gellman responded that the committee is examining ways to restructure the Association's dues. She noted that the committee hopes that the Association's new membership database system will provide the empirical data needed to make decisions about the dues structure. Gellman noted that some of the initiatives being studied by the committee include outreach to disciplinary organizations and incentives for recruitment and retention.
Gellman concluded by announcing that Konheim travel grants were awarded to AAUP chapters at Louisiana State University, Seminole State College, and Emerson College (the part-time unit).
Amendment to the AAUP Constitution
David Gruber, chair of the Committee on the Organization of the Association, presented a proposed amendment to the AAUP Constitution (Article II, sections 1 and 2, and Article VII, section 3) that collapses the two categories of "associate member" and "public member" into the single membership category of "associate member." The change was recommended by the Committee on Membership and approved by the Council in 2003. The amendment was published in the January-February 2004 issue of Academe. Copies of it were distributed, and the body acted to approve the amendment as published. The definition of the newly defined "associate" member category is as follows:
"Any person not eligible for one of the other three classes of membership may be admitted as an associate member, including members of the general public. Any person in a college, university, or professional school of similar grade in the United States or Canada whose work is primarily administrative shall be eligible for associate membership."
In response to a member's comment that the definition needs to be more inclusive of academic professionals, Gruber noted that the committee had considered this issue in conjunction with the adoption of the Association's statement College and University Academic and Professional Appointments in November 2002. He committed to having the committee reexamine the matter.
Office of Staff Counsel
General Counsel David Rabban reviewed some of the highlights of his written report on the activities of the Office of Staff Counsel. He noted an important victory for the Association in the recent decision in Crue v. Aiken (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) favorable to the AAUP's position that faculty have a First Amendment right to contact students. The administration of the university had sought to bar faculty and students from communicating with prospective student athletes about their opposition to the school's use of the Chief Illiniwek mascot and the campus controversy surrounding that issue.
Rabban noted two cases—Schrier v. University of Colorado and Axson-Flynn v. Johnson (University of Utah)—in which the AAUP filed amicus briefs. Rabban emphasized that although the cases raise very different issues, a central factor in both, and in the many other cases with which the Association gets involved, is the complicated relationship between freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment and academic freedom. He noted that the AAUP must do more to educate its members and the public on freedom of speech, in general, and academic freedom, in particular.
Rabban commended the volunteers (professors of law) who offer invaluable assistance to the Association in serving as primary authors of briefs and providing pro-bono legal advice to staff. Copies of the briefs and the complete AAUP legal docket are posted.
Government Relations
Gerald Turkel, chair of the Committee on Government Relations, reported on Capitol Hill Day (see June 10, above), which was affected this year by the cancellation of many activities at the Capitol in conjunction with burial services for former president Ronald Reagan. Turkel noted that members who visited congressional offices stressed threats to academic freedom, financing for higher education, and reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Turkel reported that the committee has formed a task force, chaired by Joseph Losco, to help AAUP conferences develop approaches to state budget strategies. Turkel referred members to his written report, the AAUP Web site, the Government Relations column in Academe, and an article by government relations director Mark Smith in the July-August issue of Academe for further details about the Association's federal and state legislative initiatives.
Proposal Regarding Staff Salaries
Larry Gerber, chair of the Annual Meeting Agenda Committee, called on Amy Carroll, president-elect of the Oklahoma AAUP conference, to present a proposal to the annual meeting that the Oklahoma Conference had adopted on May 1, 2004. The proposal called on the general secretary to disclose to Council the salaries of all staff members prior to the annual approval of the budget by the Council, and, at the earliest opportunity following the Council's approval of the budget, to publish that information in Academe and on the AAUP Web site for members' information.
Background information prepared by Mary Burgan was distributed with the conference proposal to describe the Association's Council-approved procedures for establishing staff salaries. Also included were addresses of Web sites of the U.S. Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service, where staff salary information is available to the public. Debate ensued, after which Jeffrey Butts, the AAUP's secretary-treasurer, described the procedure for setting staff salaries: the Council approves an overall amount for staff salary increases and the Executive Committee reviews individual staff salaries established by the general secretary.
A motion was passed to divide the question. The motion to direct the general secretary to disclose to the Council the salaries of all staff members before annual approval of the budget by the Council was defeated. The motion to publish staff salaries in Academe and on the AAUP Web site was also defeated.
Proposal Regarding Membership List
Rodger Govea presented a proposal to the annual meeting that had been approved by the Ohio AAUP conference on April 24, 2004, to prohibit the selling of the AAUP's membership list. The proposal stated that the AAUP occasionally sells its membership list; that such sales bring in only a minimal amount of funds for the Association; that such sales have not been authorized by a vote of the members and are not philosophically compatible with the nature of the Association; and that some members want their membership kept confidential and have been assured by the Ohio conference that membership information is kept within the Association.
Background information prepared by Mary Burgan and distributed with the conference proposal pointed out that the AAUP occasionally rents its membership list to other users, primarily charitable and educational organizations, in the form of labels approved for a single use by the vendor or the Association. The list is not sold and cannot be reused. The mailer must provide the AAUP with copies of the materials to be mailed so that they can be reviewed for their appropriateness. In addition, Burgan noted that the AAUP offers certain benefits programs to its members (discounts on liability, health, car, and life insurance, for example) through agreements with the benefits providers. The AAUP receives substantial royalties from these arrangements, which give providers member addresses and telephone numbers to solicit for limited purposes related to the benefit offer. She added that the income received through these programs helps offset the need for heavier dues increases.
Burgan pointed out that any member can, at any time, indicate that he or she does not want his or her name on non-AAUP mailing lists. The "opt-out" choice is indicated on all membership applications and is also available by using the "change of information" form on the AAUP Web site or by sending an e-mail request to staff. After brief discussion, the motion to prohibit the sale of the AAUP membership list was defeated.
Resolutions
Jeffrey Halpern, chair of the Annual Meeting Resolutions Committee, presented a resolution by the committee paying tribute to Mary Burgan on her retirement (June 30, 2004), following ten years of service as the Association's general secretary. A motion to adopt the resolution passed by acclamation, and Burgan was honored with a standing ovation.
Burgan Fund
Martin Snyder, director of planning and development, reported the Council's establishment of an endowed fund in honor of Mary Burgan. The "Burgan Fund for the General Secretary" will be used to subsidize travel by staff or members to international meetings or conferences relevant to Association issues. Snyder invited annual meeting participants to contribute to the fund, for which over $15,000 has already been raised.
Conclusion
Jane Buck concluded the plenary session at 4:30 p.m., noting that next year's annual meeting will be held June 9-12, 2005, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C.