{"id":9521,"date":"2011-03-31T08:22:54","date_gmt":"2011-03-31T15:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/?p=9521"},"modified":"2011-03-31T08:22:54","modified_gmt":"2011-03-31T15:22:54","slug":"faculty-unrest-new-campaign-for-higher-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/faculty-unrest-new-campaign-for-higher-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Unrest: New Campaign for Higher Ed"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Lori Piotrowski<\/em>) – The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), an organization founded in the early 1900\u2019s to ensure the academic freedom of university professors, continues to actively work to ensure that the voice of educators is heard during this fiscal crisis.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s newsletter, the authors of \u201cCampaign for the Future of Higher Education\u201d advocate that faculty throughout the U.S. begin their own grassroots movement to counter efforts to rein in costs.<\/p>\n

In January, a meeting was held in Los Angeles, CA, to<\/p>\n

\u00a0construct a positive counter-narrative in the national debate over the future of American higher education at a time when public higher education is at great risk. The mission of this grassroots campaign is twofold: to\u00a0ensure that affordable quality higher education is accessible to all sectors of our society in the coming decades; and to ensure that faculty, students, and our communities, not just administrators, politicians, foundations, and think tanks, have a voice to\u00a0guarantee that \u201creforms\u201d to higher education are good for students, for the quality of education, and for the public good.<\/p>\n

Who could argue with that? We all want quality institutions, and we\u2019d like them to be affordable to those who pursue post-high school education. What we cannot agree on is the pathway to reach that common ground.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s newsletter does nothing to promote understanding, let alone compromise. The 70 or so faculty members who attended said meeting set themselves up as the only party worth consulting in shaping the future of education. They drew up seven principles to \u201cguide the development and assessment of policy and practice in higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Briefly, these guidelines state that higher education must be inclusive, available, and affordable; must have a diverse curriculum; must invest in excellent faculty who has academic freedom, terms of employment; must incorporate new technologies; must pursue real efficiencies and avoid false economies; and will require \u201csubstantially more public investment over current levels.\u201d They capped the list with an admonition that standardized, simplistic metrics cannot measure quality education.<\/p>\n

This set of principles wasn\u2019t enough; the group of academics deemed it necessary to call on all faculty everywhere to declare April 13 a day of action. Activities are left up to the individual faculty member or university, but the AAUP will help them to publicize the events.<\/p>\n

The AAUP is encouraging diversity amongst the campaigners advising readers that the success of April 13 \u201cdepends on widespread participation by faculty and other constituencies (students, civil rights groups, community groups, organized labor)\u00a0who care about the future of higher education.\u201d The newsletter even provides ideas for this day of action:<\/p>\n