News
For current updates, visit our external site: aaupkennesaw.org
February 2018
KSU will search for a new president. On February 21, the search committee chair announced that the search will be closed: There will be no on-campus interviews. In fact, candidates' names will not be identified to the university community at any stage in the process. Members of the committee reason thus: ``Releasing names and engaging in a more open process would effectively eliminate a pool of highly qualified candidates before our search even began.''
We disagree, vigorously.
This sort of behind-closed-doors process directly contravenes AAUP guidelines as outlined in the AAUP's Presidential Search Committee Checklist. The checklist notes that while confidentiality in the early stages of a search is prudent and appropriate, in the later stages, ``to ensure a successful search, the nominees who are recommended to the board should visit the campus and be interviewed by the faculty and possibly other constituent groups.''
It seems that we are going down a road roughly in parallel to the one we traveled during the last ``search'' for a president.
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October 2, 2016
Since Dr. Papp announced his retirement in May of this year, AAUP@KSU has endeavored to persuade the Board of Regents and the Chancellor as to the importance of role of the KSU faculty in a search for president of the University. The first effort in this direction was in the form of a letter to the Chair of the Board of Regents, from AAUP@KSU president Andy Pieper and KSU Faculty Senate president, Humayan Zafar, referred to in the May 23 news entry below. On September 2, on behalf of the Faculty Senate, Dr. Zafar sent a letter to Interim President Houston Davis imploring him to use his influence to include faculty in the search, as a matter of respect for shared governance. On September 8, AAUP@KSU President Andy Pieper addressed the chair of the Board of Regents in yet another effort to head off an appointment to the presidency of the University.
The Board of Regents is scheduled to meet on October 12.
May 23, 2016
President Papp announced on May 10th that he would retire at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2016.
Dr. Papp has been a dedicated supporter of AAUP principles and of the AAUP@KSU. We are sorry to see him go and wish him the best in his retirement.
As the Board of Regents sets out to find a replacement for Dr. Papp, AAUP@KSU has tendered its recommendations regarding the involvement of faculty in the search. A letter to the Chancellor's office and to the Board of Regents, from the AAUP@KSU president, Andy Pieper, and the KSU Faculty Senate president, Humayan Zafar is here.
March 14, 2016
The legislature of the state of Georgia has voted to allow guns into the classrooms on campuses of publicly funded institutions of higher learning. HB 859 passed the Georgia House of Representatives on February 22, 2016, and the Georgia State Senate on March 11, 2016. (Follow this link for more information.) The bill passed despite vocal and ardent opposition from the Board of Regents, the Chancellor--- himself a former legislator--- and presidents from all of the USG campuses.
It is small comfort to note that this is part of a national trend. Follow this link for a joint statement from AAUP national, the American Federation of Teachers, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges that captures our own sentiments.
There is yet some hope. Today Governor Deal stated that he may withhold his signature from the bill if the legislature does not make certain amendments. (See this piece from ABC News about the Governor's announcement.) Now may be a good time to write to your state representative, your senator, and the governor urging them to reconsider the bill. If you want your letter read by the intended recipient, it may be best to send it by USPS, if possible to a home address. Keep the letters short, respectful, and to the point. Do identify yourself as a member of the USG university community. A well-written letter to a local newspaper could be even more effective: in addition to reaching legislators, it could mobilize neighbors who are not themselves members of the university community.
May 4, 2016 UPDATE: The Governor vetoed HB 859.
December 10, 2015
Dr. Papp announced in his November Campus Update that the timeline for changes to promotion and tenure guidelines would not be fully implemented until Fall 2018. We are most grateful to be working with an administration that values shared governance and responds to our concerns.
October 14, 2015
AAUP@KSU is concerned about changes to the promotion and tenure guidelines at the University level, in particular, how and when they will be implemented and the extent to which shared governance processes are informing/guiding/monitoring the changes. Please follow this link for the letter to Dr. Papp expressing our concern.
