The University of Kentucky chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) prepared their response to the Chairman Report 1 alongside UK faculty at the open forum on senate resolution on zoom.
The Chairman Report 1 recommends accelerating efforts to advance the Commonwealth in conjunction with UK through five initiatives called work groups: More educated kentuckians, more readiness, more partnerships, more employee recruitment and retention and more responsiveness. The report urges President Eli Capilouto to move quickly on the matter.
On Feb. 29, Associate Professor of Russian Studies Molly Blasing said AAUP’s goal is to call on Capilouto to take steps towards ensuring academic standards are met and upholding the quality of education at UK.
“We don’t know exactly what they’re (Work Group 5) going to propose, but they will likely undermine the faculty’s role in shared governance and threaten the effectiveness of the senate in ensuring academic standards and educational quality,” Blasing said.
Work Group 5: More Responsiveness, focuses on ensuring the institution is poised to accelerate its progress and growth, according to UK’s website.
The work group gave a presentation at the Feb. 23 Board of Trustees meeting to “show the board that there’s a real problem, that we (UK) have too many rules,” according to Blasing.
Work Group 5 is one of five work groups that “spearhead” Project Accelerate, which aims to accelerate UK’s growth and advance the Commonwealth, according to the website.
Philipp Roseman, a professor of philosophy and Cottrill-Rolfes chair in Catholic studies, said Project Accelerate does not focus on the idea of preparing students to function in a democracy and to make sense of the world.
He said he believes Project Accelerate focuses on the “quantitative” growth of UK and making it “bigger.”
The impact of student involvement was echoed by Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies Leon Sachs when he recalled a conversation he had with Blasing a few weeks prior to the meeting.
“It’s when we talk about the effect on students that the general public perks up their ears,” Sachs said.
The outcome of this potential decision will affect the four other workgroups, according to Blasing, including Work Group 2, which handles UK Core.
“The Senate may not have a role in educational policy by the time we have the new UK Core curriculum,” Blasing said. “That’s one thing, among many, that I’m worried about.”
Capilouto is in the process of preparing his recommendations. Blasing said a draft of recommendations will be presented before the board in March, and recommendation from Capilouto will be presented at the April board meeting where the first reading will occur.
“People should be really concerned about this …” Associate Professor of Arts Administration at the College of Fine Arts Yuha Jung said. “Discussing this is one thing, but doing something about it is another.”
A Senate Council meeting will be held to discuss the matter further on Monday, March 4 at 3 p.m. in room 311 of the Gatton Business and Economics building.
