President’s Newsletter March 2, 2019

Greetings from Atlanta where I attended the 2019 meeting of the Assembly of State Conferences, conjoined with the Spring meeting of the Georgia Conference. It was a worthwhile event and I thank the Conference for covering my flight. Following are some highlights. Response to Projected Dissolution of ASC Brian Turner, President of the ASC, presented the projected changes to the structure of the national organization. ASC will no longer exist and the national meeting will be biannual: how, then, should state conferences coordinate? After some discussion, it was decided that at the national meeting this June, where Georgia Conference President Robert “Scotty” Scott will be along with Brooks Ellwood (LSU), Linda Carroll (Tulane), myself and some others, we should continue conversation on creating an assembly of state conferences for our Southeastern region, which will have only one delegate on National Council from 2020 forward. We need to work together and support each other, and this initiative will be important. The formulation of this plan made my trip worth it, as Southeastern solidarity and cooperation are really needed. The Georgia membership is well organized and we should work with them and other neighbors. People across our region have been having the…

AAUP LA State Conference Newsletter – February 2019

Louisiana Conference of the AAUP The Conference met Saturday, February 2 at LSU-Alexandria. Three of the eight Executive Committee members were present: Leslie Bary, President, Hugh F. Wilson, Vice President, and Ravi Rau, Past President. Also attending were Brooks Ellwood, First Vice President of AAUP at the national level, and representatives from multiple state chapters and institutions. Kevin Cope, At-Large member of the Executive Committee, participated via e-mail. News The Academic Freedom Fund of the AAUP Foundation has funded us in the amount of $2057 to cover the costs to the Conference of the Christopher Newfield visit. We therefore decided to fund not one but two members of the Conference to attend the summer Institute this year. Details are forthcoming still, as the location of the Institute has not yet been revealed; information on the 2018 Institute is at https://www.aaup.org/event/2018-summer-institute. LSU-Alexandria has formed an AAUP chapter, that currently stands at 13 members. Bernard Gallagher (Professor of English) is President. We congratulate him, the officers, and the members, and look forward to working with them. UL Lafayette’s chapter has a new President, Sun-A Lee (Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies). Michael Homan is stepping down as Treasurer and will be…

AAUP LA State Conference Newsletter – January 2019

Louisiana Conference of the AAUP December 1 Meeting The Conference met Saturday, December 1 at LSU-Alexandria. Six of the eight Executive Committee members were present: Leslie Bary, President (UL Lafayette), Hugh F. Wilson, Vice President (Grambling State U), Sudhir Trivedi, Secretary and Chair, Committee A (Southern U-Baton Rouge), Kevin Cope, At-Large (LSU-Baton Rouge), Ravi Rau, Past President (LSU-Baton Rouge), and Brian Salvatore (LSU-Shreveport). Also attending were Brooks Ellwood, First Vice President of AAUP at the national level (LSU-Baton Rouge) and additional representatives from Grambling State U, LSU-Alexandria, LSU-Baton Rouge, LSU-Eunice, LSU-Shreveport, Southern U-Baton Rouge, Southern U-Shreveport, Tulane U of Louisiana, UL Lafayette, and Xavier U of Louisiana. The President’s Report included a discussion of donations and finances; the AAUP Summer Institute; the website of the Louisiana Conference; a report/discussion on the visit of Christopher Newfield; a discussion of updated plans for speakers; and the suggestion to designate liaisons to the state conference Committee A at campuses without chapters. Following consultation with Monica Owens, Political Organizer for AAUP National, it was decided to draft a resolution both ALFS (Association of Louisiana Faculty Senates) and AAUP as well as other entities could support, that could be used to organize for AAUP and…

AAUP Welcomes Christopher Newfield in Lafayette and Baton Rouge

For much of the twentieth century in the United States a college education provided a path to middle-class status, and formed productive citizens. Can it still? What can we do to help ensure access to colleges and universities? Also, what do colleges and universities do for people who are not students? How can our increasingly privatized institutions continue to serve the public at large? Dr. Christopher Newfield, Professor of English at the University of California-Santa Barbara and author of The great mistake: how we wrecked public universities, and how to fix them (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016) will speak at UL Lafayette Thursday, October 25 on “Fixing the great mistake: American universities in 2050.” The lecture, free and open to everyone, is at 5:30 PM in 112 Olivier Hall. The funding crisis and the role of the university in society are key topics. Students, parents, administrators, staff, faculty in all fields, and anyone concerned about rising tuition, debt, and the public role of universities are warmly invited. Dr. Newfield will also speak at LSU, Baton Rouge, Friday, October 26, at the Paul M. Hébert Law Center, 3:30 to 5:30 PM, Room 110. The lecture, free and open to everyone. Both…