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For additional information, please contact NYSC AAUP Executive Director Sally Dear-Healey at sdearhealeyaaup@gmail.com

NYS Academe Submission Guidelines

NYSC AAUP Academe Submission Guidelines
Approved 10/23/2020
(adapted from AAUP National Academe submission guidelines:
https://www.aaup.org/reports-and-publications/academe/submissionshttps://www.aaup.org/reports-and-publications/academe/submissions)

General Submission Guidelines

NYS Academe, the magazine of the NYS Conference of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), welcomes proposals for feature articles and book reviews as well as submissions of articles and opinion columns.

NYS Academe seeks to publish compellingly written, rigorous, salient, and original articles on the critical issues facing higher education and especially those involving and/or relevant to NYS. Our readership includes faculty members, academic professionals, and graduate students from many different disciplines as well as academic leaders, policy makers, and media professionals involved in higher education issues and policy.

Submission of an article, column, or book review (including by invitation) does not guarantee its acceptance; NYS Academe is under no requirement to accept any submission. Accepted articles may be published in print or as online-only features. Decisions about the placement of articles will be made by the Editor.

Submissions should not include defamatory statements or raise other significant legal concerns. Promotion or criticism of candidates running for office in local, state, or national AAUP elections is not allowed in the magazine; neither is misrepresentation of AAUP policy.

NYS Academe discourages the following:

  • Submissions primarily devoted to specific ongoing disputes involving individuals and their colleges or universities, except in cases of national significance. In such cases, submissions should focus on the wider implications and lessons.
  • Submissions that are primarily focused on another national higher education group or union.
  • Submissions primarily devoted to specific ongoing disputes involving individuals and AAUP entities including chapters, conferences, or affiliates. However, productive self-reflection and critique of an AAUP entity’s successes and failures are welcome.
  • Submissions of material previously published elsewhere. Such submissions must be clearly marked as previously published material.

Article Submissions

If you have a topic in mind, please prepare a brief proposal detailing your specific qualifications to write on the topic, what your approach will be, and how your article will distinguish itself from other coverage of the issue. You may also submit completed manuscripts.

Length: We accept submissions of a variety of lengths; however, it is recommended that submissions are less than 750 words. Submissions must be sent as Word Docs.

Review Process: Please allow sufficient time for review of submissions. Reviewers may include the Editor, the Executive Director of the NYSC, and the President of the NYSC. NYS Academe is not a peer-reviewed publication.

Editing: Accepted submissions are edited by the Editor. The Executive Director of the NYSC and the President of the NYSC may also comment on some articles.

Biographical Statement: Include a one- or two-sentence biographical statement and indicate whether you would like your email address published with the statement if your submission is accepted.

Notes: NYS Academe articles generally do not include endnotes or footnotes. If and when possible, identify cited works in the text of the article. Avoid bibliographies and lengthy parenthetical references.

Contact Information: Please provide home and office addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses with your submission. It is important for NYS Academe to have these details in one place so that authors can be contacted in a timely manner.

For further information, write to jfkraus1@aol.com.

Book Reviews

Proposals for book reviews can be sent directly to jfkraus1@aol.com.

Opinion Column Submissions

NYS Academe’s Faculty Forum is an opinion column open to all faculty members, academic professionals, and graduate students who belong to the AAUP. Nonmembers may submit columns but will be expected to join the Association before publication.

Contributions to Faculty Forum should address issues of concern to a wide range of Academe readers, including academics from many different disciplines and others interested in higher education issues and policy. Submissions should adopt a clear point of view and be written in a lively, nontechnical style. They must maintain a collegial tone and be interesting, insightful, and original. In evaluating submissions, the editors will seek a broad representation of institutional types, regions of the country, and ranks in the profession, giving priority to voices that are often marginalized within the profession.

Faculty Forum submissions should be approximately 700 words in length and should not include subheadings, endnotes, tables, or similar attributes. We do not accept submissions that have been previously published elsewhere.

All article and column proposals and submissions should be sent to jfkraus1@aol.com.

NYSC AAUP Strategic Plan (1.1.22-12.31.24)

This Strategic Plan was unanimously approved by a vote of the membership at the Fall 2021 NYSC AAUP Business Meeting:  https://nyscaaup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NYSC-AAUP-Strategic-Plan-1.1.22-12.31.24.pdf NYSC AAUP Strategic Plan (1.1.22-12.31.24)

NYS AAUP Conference Meetings

Archive of NYSC AAUP Meetings and Conferences.  Please be patient as we retrieve some of the minutes and agendas.

* = Download
#= Link

 

Awards Information and Application Information

NYSC AAUP Outstanding Achievement and Service Award  (Nominations due Friday, February 3, 2023)

The NYSC of the AAUP has created several awards in order to recognize the outstanding efforts of an individual (or chapter) in advancing academic freedom or shared governance; promoting the economic security of academics; helping the higher education community organize; ensuring higher education’s contribution to the higher good; and/or service to the NYS Conference. These awards are made only when the contribution is deemed to be truly outstanding, and as such may not be awarded yearly. When awarded, awards will be presented at the NYSC AAUP Spring Meeting and Conference.

NYSC AAUP Awards

·       Irwin Yellowitz Award for Service to AAUP Members in NYS

·       Pat Cihon Award for Service to the NYS Conference

·       Francis “Frank” Higman Award for Service to AAUP Collective Bargaining Chapters in NYS

Nomination Process:

A nomination from an AAUP chapter or faculty senate or union ordinarily begins the process, however individuals may also submit nominations.

Submission Process for Nominating Letters and Supporting Materials

1. Nominations should be submitted in the form of a letter and be accompanied by biographical material and supporting letters of endorsement from colleagues, chapter members, State Conference leadership, etc.

2. Include a description of the specific ways in which the candidate has demonstrated their exemplary achievement and/or service to members and/or chapters in NYS and/or the NYS Conference as referenced by the name of the award. Be as detailed as possible.

3. Also, please include references to specific examples of the candidate’s strong commitment to academic freedom or shared governance; promoting the economic security of academics; helping the higher education community organize; or ensuring higher education’s contribution to the higher good.

Submission Process:

Nominations in the form of letters and supporting materials should be sent as one complete packet to Sally Dear-Healey, Executive Director, NYSC AAUP at sdearhealeyaaup@gmail.com no later than Friday, February 3, 2023.

QUESTIONS? NEED ADDITIONAL INFO? Please reach out to sdearhealeyaaup@gmail.com.

Government Relations Program

New York State Conference of American Association of University Professors

The mission of the NYS AAUP Conference is to champion academic freedom and shared governance, to advance the quality of higher education and to provide a unified voice for the professoriate and academic professionals across the state of New York to discuss concerns and communicate issues. To that end, the NYS AAUP Conference has aligned its legislative and lobbying efforts to address issues through legislative monitoring and advocacy..

The program values the following principles as stated by The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education and will be guided by them as they address the legislature:

  • Higher education in the 21st Century must be inclusive; it should be available and affordable to all who can benefit from and want a college education.
  • The curriculum for a quality 21st Century education must be broad and diverse.
  • Quality higher education in the 21st Century will require a sufficient investment in excellent faculty who have the academic freedom, terms of employment, and institutional support needed to do state-of-the-art professional work.
  • Quality higher education in the 21st Century should incorporate technology in ways that expand opportunity and maintain quality.
  • Quality education in the 21st Century will require the pursuit of real efficiencies and the avoidance of false economies.
  • Quality higher education in the 21st Century will require substantially more public investment over current levels.
  • Quality higher education in the 21st Century cannot be measured by a standardized, simplistic set of metrics.
  • Legislative Monitoring/Lobbying Program is divided into the following categories:
  • Funding/Budgeting

The goal of the NYS AAUP Conference effort is to increase state funding for public higher education to adequate and appropriate levels by continually advocating that public education is an investment for the future of our country and that the burden should be shifted to the state, away form students.

Education

The NYS AAUP Conference must continue to demand the financial autonomy of public higher educational institutions.

Goals:

ADEQUATELY FUND HIGHER EDUCATION IN NEW YORK STATE BY:

  • FULLY FUNDING BUNDY-AID
    • Bundy Aid has been flat since 2012 putting private sector colleges and universities in fiscal distress
  • FULLY FUND BOTH SUNY AND CUNY’S BUDGET SO THE STATE’S SHARE IS 75%
    • In the last 30 years the share of state support has dropped from 75% to below 30% for state campuses, putting stress on funding and causing tuition and fees to rise
  • ONCE FUNDING LEVELS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED, PROVIDE  MAINTAINACE OF EFFORT LEGISLATION
    •  To ensure higher education institutions, students and families can plan, it is important to provide a base of constant real support
  • HAVE THE STATE LIVE UP TO THE FUNDING FORMULA FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES BY PROVIDING A FULL THIRD OF TOTAL FUNDING
    • Neither the state or counties have lived up to their obligations to provide funding while asking community colleges to become the new engines of economic growth

THE STATE’S FAILURE TO FUND HIGHER EDUCATION IN NEW YORK IS AT THE ROOT OF THE CURRENT STUDENT DEBT PROBLEM.  FULL FUNDING WILL GO A LONG WAY TORWARDS THE GOVERNOR’S GOAL OF FREE TUITION AND OVER TIME WILL BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE.

TO ENSURE PROPER FUNDING STATE REVENUES MUST BE ADEQUATE

  • EXTEND THE MILLIONAIRES’ TAX AND MAKE IT MORE PROGRESSIVE
    • The millionaires’ tax bring in more than $4 billion and should be extended. Adding additional brackets will improve fairness while adding revenue which could go to fund higher education
  • REPEAL INEFFECTIVE TAX CREDITS
    • Tax credits have been shown to be an ineffective way to create economic development and should be reviewed and repealed if they are found not to be effective

 NEW YORK STATE NEEDS TO ENSURE FAIRNESS TO ALL OF ITS CITIZENS

  • PASS THE NYS DREAM ACT
  • PASS REAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
  • SUPPORT LEGISLATION RECOMMITTING NEW YORK STATE TO THE SUPPORT OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN BOTH THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR

 

 

For additional information contact:

Fred Floss, Chair
NYSC Committee on Government Relations
flossfg@buffalostate.edu

 

 

Shared Governence

Shared Governance

  • Shared Governance is the principle that higher educational institutions operate most effectively when their various constituents each play an appropriate role in governing the college or university. One of the founding documents that explain these roles is the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities written by the American Association of University Professors, the American Council on Education and the Association of Governing Boards and Colleges. In this document the authors explicate the primary responsibilities of the governing board, president, faculty and students. For example, the primary responsibilities of the faculty are curriculum, instruction, research, faculty status and the educational process of the students. The implications of the Statement are far-reaching and subject to the specific conditions of each institution. Specific models or best practices are not spelled out as these change over time and reflect the specific nature of each institution. The New York State AAUP Committee on Shared Governance is committed to helping all institutions of higher learning within the state attains their highest ideals of shared governance.

2) The NYSC AAUP Committee on College and University Governance can consult and offer advice regarding:

  • the revision of campus governance documents;
  • review of faculty handbooks and institutional regulations;
  • strategies to strengthen faculty governance;
  • the evaluation of academic administrators.

3) Please review these documents, before contacting us

1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities

Additional AAUP resources on shared governance

4) If you have a shared governance question or issue, please email AAUP’s Executive Director,

Sally Dear-Healey at sdearhealeyaaup@gmail.com

AAUP - Censured and Sanctioned Institutions in New York

From time to time, after an on-campus investigation and subsequent consideration, the American Association of University Professors censures particular institutional administrations or boards of trustees for “not observing the generally recognized principles of academic freedom and tenure endorsed by this Association, the Association of American Colleges, and over 100 other professional and educational organizations.” These principles may be found in the 1940 Statement of Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure; they are reprinted yearly in the January-February issue of (national) Academe.

Likewise, Institutions can be sanctioned for infringement of governance standards after Association investigations revealed serious departures from generally accepted standards of college and university government endorsed by this Association, as set forth in the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities and derivative governance documents. Institutions are placed on or removed from this sanction list by vote of the Association’s annual meeting.

From time to time, the AAUP removes institutions from the censure or sanction list if past injustices have been rectified and if institutional arrangements have been sufficiently improved to warrant removal. Colleges and universities are glad to get off the censure list.

In the May-June issue of Academe each year, developments (if any) which might lead to the removal of censure from each censured institution are briefly summarized. National AAUP urges each individual considering appointment at a censured institution to seek information on present conditions of academic freedom and tenure there before accepting an appointment. Consult the AAUP’s national office, 1012 14th St., NW, Washington, DC 20005 (800-424-2973), and prospective colleagues at the institution; then use your discretion.

Review the complete listing of AAUP Censured Institutions in the US

Review the complete listing of AAUP Sanctioned Institutions in the US


Two Institutions in New York state is now on censure by the AAUP because of unsatisfactory conditions of academic freedom on campus.

College of Saint Rose

In terminating the appointments of twenty-three tenured and tenure-track faculty members absent a declaration of financial exigency or a demonstrably bona fide formal program discontinuance for educational reasons, the board of trustees and administration of the College of Saint Rose violated basic tenets of the joint 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure and derivative procedural standards set forth in Regulation 4 of the Recommended Institutional Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure. The “academic prioritization” process that led to the program cuts, moreover, was entirely inconsistent with relevant AAUP-recommended standards for program discontinuance set forth in Regula­tions 4d(1) through 4d(3) of the Recommended Institutional Regulations.

State University of New York 1978 [PDF]

Censure followed a report on the dismissal of more than one hundred faculty members in the state university system on grounds of retrenchment. The report concluded that the administration had acted without demonstrating the existence of a state of financial exigency mandating the termination of continuing appointments.

Over the years the staff has conveyed to successive chancellors of the State University of New York concerns over specific policies and procedures governing faculty appointments. Issues of redress also remain to be resolved.

No new developments over the past year can be reported.

Two Institutions in New York Sate are currently on sanction by the AAUP for infringement of governance standards after Association investigations revealed serious departures from generally accepted standards of college and university government endorsed by this Association, as set forth in the Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities and derivative governance documents. 

Elmira College (NY) 1995

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) 2011


 

Audit Reports

Audit Reports:

2020:  Audit Committee Report – Submitted by Leah Akins, Vice President, NYSC-AAUP

Recognizing that an independent financial audit of NYSC-AAUP had not been performed in some time, Leah Akins was designated by NYSC-AAUP Executive Council to reconstitute and chair the audit committee with the charge of finding a certified public accountant to perform the work. In fall 2019, Leah Akins contacted audit committee members and NYSC-AAUP leadership concerning recommendations for certified public accountants to perform the NYSC-AAUP constitutionally required financial audit. Three CPAs were suggested and Leah Akins had a telephone call with two of them. These discussions helped frame the work an organization like NYSC-AAUP typically requires. Estimates were provided by both the CPAs and the lower bid was accepted by the Executive Council.

In April 2020, NYSC-AAUP Treasurer Pat Cihon worked with Van Norstrand & Hoolihan CPA located in Rhinebeck, NY (https://vnhcpa.com/) to perform a financial compilation and complete 2019 tax forms. Pat Cihon reported that the CPA was easy to work with and provided a secure system for uploading financial documents for consideration and review. The compilation indicated that there were no issues with NYSC-AAUP financial information. Balance sheet, profit and loss, and general ledger documents were prepared and provided to the audit committee. No inconsistencies or problems were documented in the compilation.

Pat Cihon reported positively on the financial compilation and working with VNHCPA at the fall business meeting in October 2020. He was pleased with the extent and quality of work performed by VNHCPA at an advantageous cost (under $500) to NYSC-AAUP. The NYSC-AAUP Executive Council plan to retain VNHCPA to complete the organization’s 2020 taxes and to have VNHCPA perform a compilation every other year or more often if deemed necessary.

Library of NYSC AAUP Documents and Archives

                                (Note that each section expands)