UNCG AAUP

https://greensboro.com/news/local/education/uncg-no-confidence-provost-chancellor-falculty-program-cuts/article_98cd2736-e2eb-11ee-90df-2bed8380667c.html

UNCG faculty: No confidence in provost UNCG’s faculty passed a resolution of no confidence in Provost Debbie Storrs on Wednesday, in continuing fallout from the university’s decision earlier this year to eliminate 20 academic programs.

UNCG's reputation around the country is at risk!

Please take the time to read this excellent blog post by Dr. Jim Coleman. In it, he thoroughly critiques misinformation being spread by the current administration and its spokespeople about the role and response of UNCG faculty to the current "Academic Portfolio Review." Coleman also interrogates the relationship between the professed goals and proposed solutions of this APR process.

Warriors for change vs the armies of the status quo: this narrative has to change. I find it frustrating to read the many news articles and op-eds around UNCG's academic portfolio review process. On one side the Chancellor, Provost and VCFA are portrayed by themselves, and by their...

UNCG_AAUP Statement In support of Dr. Chuck Bolton's Courageous Resignation:

Profile in Courage: Associate Dean Chuck Bolton models how administrators can maintain their integrity in the face of dishonest and egregious acts of power and abuse by their superiors. Resign. Tell the truth. Don't let them get away with it. The UNCG AAUP applauds and thanks Bolton for his dedication to the university.

Chuck has been a dedicated servant leader for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). He led department heads and the dean with thoughtful wisdom and care for faculty, staff and students. He understood the complexity of the university and used that understanding to make thoughtful decisions. His effective communication of the rationale behind decisions build tremendous trust in CAS. We wish the provost understood those values. Chuck will be dearly missed as Associate Dean.

If you wish to reach out to Dr. Bolton directly to express your support, his email address is: [email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2Uz0GROXGM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

CLICK the link to see what we are working for!!

Dear UNCG community, let's #savetheG. Join us on Wednesday, January 24, from 2:00-5:00pm outside the Alumni House to rally for UNCG.

From the Faculty Senate at UNCG - (They want transparency and to vote on proposed cuts as stated in the faculty constitution.)

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Faculty Senate

Position Statement on Role of Faculty Senate


WHEREAS, Faculty Senate passed Resolution #11012023.2 on November 1, 2023, that placed a request to the Chancellor that one Senator from each unit attends “all administrative deliberative meetings during phases 2 and 3 of the Academic Portfolio Review (APR)” as observers and “report back to the Faculty Senate about deliberations on the APR;” and

WHEREAS, on November 20, 2023, the Chancellor issued a statement in which he did not approve of Senate Resolution #11012023.2 (See attached); and

WHEREAS, the Chancellor did not offer the Faculty Senate any amendment or alternatives to Senate Resolution #11012023.2 to negotiate an acceptable compromise for Faculty Senate members’ involvement in the APR process; and

WHEREAS, the Chancellor in his response wrote that he and the Provost “share a commitment to continue consulting with you throughout the review and to consider your input as a core element of my ultimate decision-making. Although University policy does not prescribe this provision, it’s critical to us that your voices and insights help inform the process and outcomes;” and

WHEREAS, the SACSCOC 2018 Accreditation Standards, which UNC Greensboro abides by, establishes the need for faculty input in academic decision-making. Specifically, it reads that “Because student learning is central to the institution’s mission and education degrees, the faculty is responsible for directing the learning enterprise.” In the Educational Standards section, it lays out that, “The institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty;” and

WHEREAS, the UNC System Code states that “the chancellor shall ensure the establishment of appropriate procedures within the institution to provide members of the faculty the means to give advice with respect to means of academic policy and institutional governance, with particular emphasis upon matters of curriculum;” and

WHEREAS, the General Faculty Constitution states that “UNC Greensboro has elected to establish a Faculty Senate to advise the Chancellor regarding questions of academic policy and institutional governance with emphasis on matters of the undergraduate curriculum;” and

WHEREAS, the UNC Greensboro Promotion, Tenure, and Academic Freedom regulations state that “when the institution is considering a major curtailment in or elimination of a teaching, research, or public-service program, the Chancellor shall first seek the advice and recommendations of the academic administrative officers and faculties of the departments, academic programs, or academic units that might be affected, and of the Faculty Senate;” and

WHEREAS, in his memo to the AAUP Executive Committee on December 12, 2023, Chancellor Gilliam wrote that “The Faculty Senate, as the representative body of our faculty, has provided many opportunities for dialogue and will continue to do so in January” and that the AAUP “work collaboratively with the Senate, the elected and formal representative of the body of the faculty” (See attached).

WHEREAS, the opportunities for dialogue that the Chancellor described have primarily consisted of presentations about the process of curricular review and program closures, rather than a collaborative process in which the Faculty Senate provides its advice, recommendations, and insights.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate respectfully disagrees with the Chancellor’s statement on November 20, 2023, that university policy does not provide a provision for consultation with Faculty Senate on matters of the academic curriculum.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate affirms the Chancellor’s statements that the Senate is the “elected and formal representative of the body of the faculty” (December 12, 2023) and that it is “critical” that the Senate’s “voices and insights help inform the process and outcomes” of the APR (November 20, 2023).

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate respectfully disagrees with the Chancellor’s statement (December 12, 2023) that the Faculty Senate has provided many opportunities for dialogue that allowed the Senate’s voices and insights to inform the APR process and outcomes.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate affirms the SACSCOC Accreditation Standards that “Because student learning is central to the institution’s mission and education degrees, the faculty is responsible for directing the learning enterprise” and that “The institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty.”

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chancellor and the Provost seek the advice and recommendations of the Faculty Senate in matters of academic curriculum and potential program and departmental closures in accordance with the SACSCOC Accreditation Standards, the UNC System Code, the UNC Greensboro General Faculty Constitution, and the UNC Greensboro Promotion, Tenure, and Academic Freedom regulations.

Statement on proposed cuts from UNCG AAUP - American Association of University Professors.

"The proposed list of cuts released by the Chancellor overwhelmingly targets the College of Arts and Sciences, chipping away at UNCG’s promise of a well-rounded liberal arts education that will prepare students for our global world. Departments like Religious Studies and Anthropology teach students about global cultures and diverse ways of understanding the world around us. Our popular offerings in foreign languages such as Chinese and Russian help prepare students to build bridges across cultural divides. Public institutions must be run with transparency, yet there has been no rationale provided for why these particular cuts were recommended. In fact, the list released doesn’t correlate with the APR process that we followed. Some of the programs and departments targeted for elimination were not flagged as underperforming by the APR rubrics or even reviewed by the faculty committees charged with recommending cuts. To implement this list of cuts would be a dangerous precedent that would undermine UNCG’s administration’s commitment to shared governance and transparency. Eliminating programs and departments that are core to the university’s mission without any rationale for their termination is irresponsible. We must have a full accounting of the decision-making so that a robust campus dialogue about the implications of these proposals can take place."

SHOCKED - UNCG Faculty and Students. The administration continues to push their agenda to eliminate programs that represent our mission, values and community.

‘Shocked’: UNCG faculty respond to list of proposed cuts, push back on flawed data Featured photo: James Roberts (Jampp…, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons UPDATED (1/19, 5:30 p.m.): A univ

Update on AAUP's Petition Against Program Elimination!

On December 4, 2023, AAUP submitted its “Petition to End Program Elimination” to the Chancellor, Provost, Deans and Faculty Senate with over 3912 signees, including 1639 current undergraduates, 203 current graduate students, 957 alumni and 188 faculty. On December 11, 2023, the Chancellor and Provost responded and declined our request to end the APR process. Their full response can be read here.

We are disappointed that the administration continues to ignore the widespread disapproval of this process across campus and the untrustworthiness of the data being used a justification for eliminating faculty and programs. Moreover, the rationale for eliminating programs continues to be vague and unconvincing. As we pointed out in our message to them, the central contention of the Bunsis report that UNCG is in solid financial condition and possesses considerable flexible reserves to deal with financial emergencies should they arise remains unrefuted by the administration.

When given a chance to demonstrate the budgetary deficits or other extreme circumstances which necessitates the firing of faculty, the administration, once again, opted rather to obfuscate referencing only the possibility of impending “headwinds” and the need “to put the University on solid academic and financial footing for the next 10 to 20 years” despite the fact that APR offers nothing of the sort since there are no informed projections about the long-term (or short-term) impact of cuts. Indeed, the evidence from other institutions that have imposed drastic cuts in the current climate is that it leads directly to enrollment loss and reputational decline that causes more instability.

We are somewhat heartened, however, that the Chancellor and Provost profess to “respect the mission of AAUP” and to respect the “authority of the Faculty Senate.” They urge AAUP members to communicate our concerns to our elected campus leaders who will be given opportunities to voice faculty concerns as the final decisions are made. We have done just that and we encourage all members of the faculty to speak to their campus leaders and attend Faculty forums in the Spring Semester. Moreover, we implore the administration to continue listening to Faculty leadership and to include them in the APR in the meaningful ways which our governing policies demand.

Reposted from concerneduncggradstudents
Starting the week off strong with news of a resolution approved by the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences. Take a look at what it says and why students should be paying attention!!
Quotes are directly from the Resolution itself.

More excellent reporting on the Academic Review Process (APR) at UNCG by for . Featuring BOG rally organized by . Read and share widely!

Board of Governors member responds to students protesting UNCG administration “Cut their pay, not our programs” chanted students gathered in front of UNCG’s Jackson Library at 9 a.m. on November 16, before marching past the Alumni House where the UNC

This article is from the News and Observer, November 17. To sign the petition mentioned in the article, go to: https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1C1SriK62yBGDG9tJEJJWEKMPqo49aFg9zWLtalk7PwQ/mobilebasic

"Save the G’: UNCG students, faculty rally against potential academic program cuts

Some UNC Greensboro students and faculty are concerned about what UNCG calls an ongoing “academic portfolio review” that could result in programs being eliminated from the university’s academic offerings.

The review, which formally began this spring, has been the subject of significant pushback from some members of the university community this semester, taking the form of marches, rallies and an online petition against the review that has been signed by nearly 4,000 people.

UNCG Chancellor Franklin Gilliam has described the review as a “best practice” in higher education, and has said it is necessary “to put the university on solid financial footing” following undergraduate enrollment declines and a change to the UNC System’s funding model for its campuses. Among other changes, that model now funds graduate programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields at higher rates than non-STEM programs.

Gilliam said in a State of the Campus address last month that while the university has “a very robust graduate portfolio,” he noted that because it was established as a women’s college, the university’s academic offerings have historically not been as oriented to STEM as other universities in the 17-institution UNC System.

“Given the headwinds we face, it’s important to evaluate our academic offerings in light of our values and of our mission,” Gilliam said at the address.

Students and faculty have raised concerns about the process by which the review has been conducted, saying they have received mixed messaging about why the review is needed or what the outcomes may be. The campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) even commissioned its own, outside assessment of the university’s financial standing, which it says contradicts the university’s reasoning.

On Thursday, about two dozen students and faculty gathered outside the university’s Alumni House, where a regularly scheduled meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors was being held. The event was organized by Concerned UNCG Graduate Students, a student group that formed this fall in response to the review.

“Somehow, some way, they have to look at us and see that we’re upset,” Azariah Journey, a leader of the concerned students group, told The News & Observer on Tuesday about the timing of the rally and its proximity to the board meeting. “And we’re respectful. We just, we care about our programs, and we hope that they see us and hear us.”

Students, faculty want more transparency.

Ashley Loper-Nowak, another member of the concerned students group, told The N&O that one of her primary concerns is what many have perceived as a lack of transparency throughout the review process.

“It’s just exhausting trying to understand what’s going on,” Loper-Nowak said, adding that many students feel like they are being viewed as numbers, not students.

Mark Elliott, a history professor and the president of the campus AAUP chapter, told The N&O he feels like there has not been quality “dialogue” between faculty and university leaders.
“I think there’s been a lot of monologue of the administration telling us what they’re going to do,” Elliot said.

Board of Governors member Gene Davis, who joined the board in July after serving on the UNCChapel Hill Board of Trustees, spent several minutes with the group, saying he wanted to listen to them and hear their concerns.

“I don’t know the answers. I’m one member of the Board of Governors. But I do want to listen and I do want to hear,” Davis told the group. “Because what you care about and the things that you have to say about this and any other issue are important to me.”

Gilliam disputed claims about a lack of transparency Thursday after the Board of Governors meeting, nothing that the university has held dozens of engagements about the process so far, with more expected to be held after the recommendations for program cuts are made early next year. Gilliam also said faculty and staff were involved in the process to create rubrics by which academic programs will be assessed, and information and data about the review are available online.

“There’s a difference between not liking the outcomes and not liking the process,” Gilliam told reporters, adding that the university has “nothing to hide.”

The ongoing review at UNCG has drawn comparisons from faculty and students to the widespread cuts at West Virginia University this fall that resulted in more than two dozen majors and almost 150 faculty positions being eliminated. Both universities are using the same consulting group, the RPK Group, to perform assessments and reviews of academic programs.

Gilliam dismissed that comparison in his address last month, noting that UNCG is “taking a datainformed approach” to its review and that WVU is experiencing a $45 million budget shortfall. Because of enrollment declines, UNCG was projected to lose more than $8 million in funding this academic year based on the UNC System’s new funding model, but with weighted funding for performance and a one-time, stopgap funding measure, the university’s total losses were projected to come in at about $3.5 million.

“We’re not in that kind of shape,” Gilliam said of the comparison to WVU.

Some faculty and students don’t think the review is necessary, citing an outside report the university’s AAUP chapter commissioned that found “UNCG is on solid financial ground and there is no budgetary need for the cuts.” The university has disputed the claims and analysis put forward in that report, saying it was “rife with major and minor inaccuracies and misinformation.”

At this point in the review, UNCG spokesperson Kimberly Osborne said, faculty, department chairs and deans across the university “are reviewing quantitative data and qualitative information to develop their recommendations,” which they will submit to the university’s provost, or chief academic officer.
Programs could be recommended for elimination, consolidation or expansion, Osborne said.

Gilliam said in his address last month that the university wants to invest in programs at the university that are in high demand from students, as well as those that may enroll students in fewer credit hours but still produce valuable scholarship or research, among others.

“We want to be able to invest in those programs, but we can’t if we’re distributing the money in a way that everybody gets a trophy,” Gilliam said.

As chancellor, Gilliam is tasked with making the final decisions on programs’ fates, Osborne said.

Students who are enrolled in programs that end up being cut will be able to complete their degrees, but new students will not be able to enroll in those programs, effective in the next fall semester. Osborne said any changes “will take years to implement.”

“I know that I’ll graduate. UNCG has continued to tell us that,” Journey, the graduate student, said. “But I’m worried about first-gen students who won’t have the opportunity to take part of the diverse programs that UNCG could possibly cut.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2023, 12:51 PM.

UNCG Academic Program Review Petition We, the undersigned, who care deeply about UNCG’s mission, values, and its future, call for the immediate suspension or discontinuation of the Academic Program Review (APR). This process has been rendered unnecessary by developments and investigations that have revealed its flawed nature and under...

UNCG's program elimination process mentioned in the NY Times!

Opinion | Stop Corporatizing My Students (Gift Article) Equating successful education with successful business is changing not only what gets taught, but whom.

Join in!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81140503658?pwd=RICNBTLOzeS
UPf6R5arB3xYVboQp2C.1

Please watch, save and share widely!!

Student PowerPoint on APR 10 20 2023 This video explains why the APR process at UNCG is illegitimate and flawed.

https://greensboro.com/opinion/column/mark-elliott-and-lisa-levenstein-uncgs-program-review-is-flawed-and-shortsighted/article_a14018ba-72a2-11ee-9186-e7e0fa379e40.html

Essential reading!! Save and share widely! Please take time to read the op-ed published by AAUP's Mark Elliott and Lisa Levenstein in @greensboronewsandrecord In this article, they respond to the chancellor's op-ed from last week, outline the main issues with the current flawed Academic Program Review, and express their dedication to UNCG's mission and students. Link in "News" highlight reel above 👆 https://greensboro.com/opinion/column/mark-elliott-and-lisa-levenstein-uncgs-program-review-is-flawed-and-shortsighted/article_a14018ba-72a2-11ee-9186-e7e0fa379e40.html

What's happening to our great university is also happening at WVU. Watch this PBS News Hour to hear how students' voices can make a difference! We need all of our stakeholders to speak up on behalf of our academic programs and the students in them!

Students protest West Virginia Univ. budget cuts targeting academic programs and jobs West Virginia University made headlines in the world of higher education this year when it announced it was making major cuts to some academic programs and faculty. There's concern about whether other public universities may follow suit. Special correspondent Hari Sreenivasan has reports for our ser...

Out in today's ! Powerful op-ed by UNCG AAUP's Lisa Levenstein and Mark Elliott on the shortsighted and flawed program review at UNCG. Pick up a copy at your local GSO store!

Or to read online, head to: https://greensboro.com/opinion/column/mark-elliott-and-lisa-levenstein-uncgs-program-review-is-flawed-and-shortsighted/article_a14018ba-72a2-11ee-9186-e7e0fa379e40.html

Out in today's @newsandrecord! Powerful op-ed by Lisa Levenstein and Mark Elliott on the shortsighted and flawed program review at UNCG. Pick up a copy at your local GSO store! Or to read online, head to: https://greensboro.com/opinion/column/mark-elliott-and-lisa-levenstein-uncgs-program-review-is-flawed-and-shortsighted/article_a14018ba-72a2-11ee-9186-e7e0fa379e40.html

Hello UNCG community! Welcome to the UNCG AAUP page.

Please click "like" and "follow" on our page to stay up-to-date on happenings at UNCG, especially regarding the "program review" currently underway at the university.

We also encourage you to spread the word by inviting your UNCG networks (current students, alumni, retired faculty members who are on Facebook) to follow our page and to stay engaged with us here!