(Sent to AAUP@KSU listserv, Friday, August 16.)
Happy Friday, AAUP@KSU colleagues!
Welcome back to another academic year. As the new president of the chapter, I would like to make a couple of quick announcements and open the door to questions, comments, advice, and, hopefully, a volunteer or six (no, really, we need at least six volunteers 🙂
Chapter leadership and diversity
Our current executive committee (Excom) is made up of myself, Matt Lyons as Vice President, and Amy Donahue who has agreed to serve as acting Treasurer. I would like to express thanks to Olga Koz and Huu Mai for their service to the chapter over the last two years as treasurer and secretary. We need to collect nominations and hold a formal election for both the treasurer and secretary position. You’ll see a notice of that from me next week, but please contact me now if you would like to self-nominate for either secretary or treasurer of the chapter. Amy has accepted a nomination to run for Treasurer, so she will stand for that election with any other nominees.
In addition to the open officer roles, we will be creating five new service roles (committee chairs). Please contact me if you have availability and interest in doing some work with us this year in the following areas: communications, external organizations, recruitment, events, and campaigns.
In light of those requests, remember that AAUP (national, state, and local) places a strong value on diversity, equity, and inclusion. These are not buzz words or priorities that are going away for us. We encourage and support leadership volunteers who represent voices that are marginalized and silenced, both on and off campus. Whether volunteering for a leadership role or not, please let us know how we as a chapter can best support your voice and/or amplify an initiative that increases your sense of security and belonging on campus as a faculty member.
Our year ahead
I anticipate that this will be a year of growth and recruitment for the chapter. We expect to spend time reviewing our approach to dues and membership, concentrating on consistent messaging, and listening to our membership so that we can more accurately prioritize and articulate our goals. (Speaking of membership, if you’re not current on dues, please join AAUP@KSU and consider joining national AAUP by clicking here.)
I also expect that this will be a challenging year in some unique ways given the presidential election and the continued development of KSU’s academic mission. Please reflect on how much time you can spend within our community. Remember: because AAUP is a university-recognized organization, working with us (beyond meeting attendance) is valid, documentable service for your ARD/FPA narratives.
Keep an eye out for upcoming news!
We are finalizing the calendar for the year, including dates/times for our membership meetings, socials, and shared governance workshops. Look for our finalized calendar of events and a member poll next week!
Finally, please help us grow this community by sharing this email with a colleague, especially someone who might be new to KSU. We especially encourage participation from adjunct and limited-term faculty.
Regards,
Pete Rorabaugh, AAUP@KSU chapter president
Matt Lyons,AAUP@KSU chapter vice president
Amy Donahue, AAUP@KSU acting treasurer
Image displayed above courtesy of Jeremy Hynes via Unsplash.
