The AAUP-CBC will honor John Zipp, president of the University of Akron AAUP chapter, at its June meeting. Zipp is the recipient of the Marilyn Sternberg Award, given annually to the AAUP member who “best demonstrates concern for human rights, courage, persistence, political foresight, imagination, and collective bargaining skills.”
Colleagues who nominated Zipp noted that he has provided leadership in a time of severe challenges and disruption. At a time when the university faced economic challenges due to years of administrative overspending and mismanagement, John helped lead the chapter through a contentious and difficult contract negotiation. He did this by taking an active role in all communications and working tirelessly behind the scenes with other leaders on campus to share information, coordinate strategy, and maintain faculty resolve and solidarity. The negotiations resulted in a contract that was more favorable in terms of language, salary, and benefits than anyone could have predicted given the circumstances. It included a mechanism for promoting nontenure track faculty and raises totaling 12 percent over four years. Most importantly, the new contract does NOT include damaging post-tenure review and retrenchment provisions proposed by the administration.
In conclusion, his colleagues note, “John was the right leader at the right time. Without his leadership, the university could still be on the dangerous and irresponsible course that the former university president set us on, and we surely would not have been as well positioned to negotiate a contract that was on the whole favorable to our members.”