President’s Message

Since our last issue of Academe, the officers and board have been engaged in the work of the Illinois Conference. We have attended local, state, regional and national conferences. A number of the officers have represented faculty at hearings, given presentations on shared governance, tenure and academic freedom to our chapters and interested faculty. On a regular basis we spend time providing direction, guidance and support to our Illinois chapters and faculty at large. One of our goals is to enable faculty to develop and promote position statements that define and protect faculty rights.

Today, higher education is confronted with many challenges such as faculty lay-offs, financial terminations, investigations, suspensions and loss of benefits. The State Conference and National office stand ready to service as resources for local chapters encountering these difficult times.

Collectively, we must continue to support shared governance, academic freedom and our rights as faculty members. To achieve our goals we need strong Illinois chapters as well as increased membership. As we move forward in this academic year, talk with your colleagues about the value of AAUP. Ask them to join and become part of an organization that serves all of us in higher education. AAUP is your voice. Help us be heard.