The New York State Conference of the AAUP recently wrote a letter in support of the AAUP-Utica and the Utica University Faculty Senate in their opposition to the “blatant disregard of the Utica University administration and Board of Trustees for the established processes of shared governance on their campus. The administration and the board have bypassed clearly established curricular processes in the union’s collective bargaining agreement, the Faculty Senate Bylaws, and established Curriculum Committee procedures, announcing on January 18, 2023, the proposed elimination of 15 majors and significant and mandatory modifications of eight others.”

The letter referrenced the AAUP’s 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities jointly issued with the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB) which clearly states that “[t]he faculty sets the requirements for the degrees offered in course, determines when the requirements have been met, and authorizes the president and board to grant the degrees thus achieved.”

The letter also noted that the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB) had reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of shared governance and division of responsibilities set out in the 1966 document in its 2017 Statement on Shared Governance.

We invite you to sign the petition the AAUP-Utica Chapter is circulating: https://www.change.org/save-utica.