President’s Column: Faculty, Academic Professionals, and Students Moving United Towards a New Shared Vision

by José Padín, President, AAUP-Oregon

University budgets that reflect the values we profess as educators.

Universities, administrations, and Boards of Trustees accountable to the values on which public higher education is founded, and to its stakeholders — students, citizens, faculty, and professional student support staff.

A statewide concerted movement of faculty, staff, and students for racial justice at our universities — not diversity public relations, but justice.

These three priorities, and rich ideas for steps to achieve them, were handed to the elected leadership of our Oregon AAUP by members — volunteer member-leaders, faculty and academic professionals from across the Oregon — and by guest graduate and undergraduate students in attendance at the annual membership meeting of the Oregon chapter of the American Association of University Professors, on April 23.

These will be the three priorities of our member-led, member-powered, Oregon AAUP for the next year: ethical university budgets, healthy relations with Boards of Trustees, racial justice.

In our lifetime as educators there will scarcely be a more rewarding experience of service than joining, finding meaning, renewing meaning, connecting with colleagues and students across campus, and across the state, through voluntary contributions to these efforts for the health of education. Especially if you’ve never had the opportunity to volunteer!

To join one of our three initiatives — ethical university budgets, healthy relations with Boards of Trustees, racial justice — email Margaret Butler, the Executive Director of AAUP-Oregon, at margaret@aaup-oregon.org.