College and university governance works best when every constituency within the institution has a clear understanding of its role with respect to the other constituencies. It works best when communication among the governing board, the administration, and the faculty (not to mention the staff and students) is regular, open, and honest. Too often…

Publication agreements vary by publisher and sometimes by contract as well. A number of such agreements now also include indemnity clauses. "Indemnifying a publisher" means agreeing to pay for any loss, damage, or liability incurred by the publisher, or it can mean that the publisher has the right to claim reimbursement for its loss, damage, or…

This article discusses academic freedom that is currently under threat at many public two-year schools, which serve almost one-half of the nation's first-year college students. The growing reliance on part-time faculty exacerbates the problem, with many adjuncts feeling muzzled for fear of losing their jobs. The problem of academic freedom at…

When the Antioch University board of trustees announced in June 2007 that it was suspending the operations of the historic Antioch College as of June 2008, the college's faculty, staff, students, and alumni mourned. Then, as Mother Jones recommended, they began to organize. Their goal was to reclaim the college and its progressive educational…

In this article, the author, as a faculty member drawn into administrative service over the past decade, describes how economic and fiscal challenges have steadily eroded, if not entirely eliminated, the crucial tenets of shared faculty and institutional governance. She sees this development as an academic form of the "shock doctrine" eloquently…

It is clear from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Faculty Gender Equities Indicator 2006 report and other studies that female faculty members have not achieved equity with their male colleagues. One indicator of this is that women, even when they hold the same rank as men, are paid less. Institutions frequently argue that…

Nevada has a unitary system of public higher education, with eight institutions serving some 100,000 students in the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Included in the NSHE are two research universities, a world-renowned freestanding research institution, one recently established state college, and four community colleges, including one of…

Mission statements are "in" these days. So it was only a matter of time before the authors' own institution was called upon to define itself. What could be easier? The people charged to draft the statement, the faculty, were simply being asked to describe their own doings. The authors discover that with a diverse range of opinions it was not easy…

Honors Marilyn Repsher, a mathematics professor at Jacksonville University (Florida), who was selected as one of four Professors of the Year (1999-2000) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Notes her commitment to teaching, her participation in governance, and…

Explores academic freedom in religiously based institutions, including eight social or semi-philosophical considerations to bear in mind during such exploration (modern society, religious pluralism and democracy, civil society, education, religion, the academy, ideas, and personhood). Defends the right of such institutions to attach religious…

Describes one day in the teaching life of a temporary college faculty member, focusing on her dedication to the students and the class that she has been asked to teach, and highlighting issues that she faces in being a temporary faculty member (e.g., low pay and no job security). (SM)

The term "mission creep" was originally coined nearly a hundred years ago to describe the gradual process by which a military mission's stated methods and goals change, and recently the term has been applied to incremental organizational changes. In this article, the term is used to describe what happens when a teaching-oriented college or…

The issues that tend to arise in the process of developing and administering a grievance procedure are discussed and some of the ways these issues have been resolved are described. The "ethos" of an institution may be the most important factor in determining the effectiveness of a faculty grievance procedure. (MLW)

A report of Committee A of the American Association of University Professors is presented with four recommendations for imposition of censure. Three accounts to illustrate the mediative work of the AAUP are described. Recommendations deferred and removal of censure are reported. (MLW)

The history of unions at the City University of New York is described, and the assertion that academic unions and faculty governance are incompatible is discussed. The record at CUNY demonstrates that the faculty union and faculty governance bodies are partners in a reciprocal process. (MLW)