Virginia Tech Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)

The VT chapter of the AAUP has recently been refreshed with a new slate of leaders, and we look forward to partnering with faculty and graduate students across Virginia Tech to find ways to support and preserve teaching and research missions of the institution. The new leaders are:

Patty Raun, President, Virginia Tech Chapter of the AAUP
Uwe Tauber, Vice-President
Kristopher Hite, Secretary-Treasurer
Joe Merola, executive committee member
Chad Proudfoot, executive committee member
Richard Shryock, executive committee member

Virginia Tech’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors stands ready to work to support the interests of our constituents and our institution in these challenging times. We act to support AAUP’s mission to “advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, post‐doctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; . . . and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common We will represent faculty and graduate students on matters related to the physical, intellectual, and emotional health and the economic security of our community as the university moves forward in this next unpredictable period. We believe that the value of faculty participation in institutional decision-making has become urgently important given the current and future health and economic impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on Virginia Tech.

VT AAUP Cross-College Faculty-Deans Dialogue, part II
A conversation between faculty & administrators, featuring Dean Blieszner (Liberal Arts & Human Sciences) and Dean Ross (Engineering)

Wednesday 4 April, 2018
3:00-5:00 pm
220 New Classroom Building

Please join us for a second conversation between faculty and deans. How can faculty best work with deans, so that we are collaborating toward common goals? Shared governance is a core value of the AAUP. To effectively share in governance, faculty need to understand the challenges faced by administrators. Grad students welcome also.

A conversation between faculty & administrators, featuring Deans Winistorfer and Morton. For all faculty & graduate students, all colleges.

Friday 26 January 2018
3:00 – 5:00 pm
Newman Library Multipurpose Room

President Sands has stated many conversations need to take place across the university, as we transition into the implementation phase of the many new initiatives underway.

We wish to open up a dialogue about how faculty can best work with and support deans, so that we are working together toward common goals. We do not mean to overstep department chairs or heads, but we have less opportunity for informal conversations at the deconal level.

Shared governance is a core value of the AAUP, and in order to effectively share in governance, faculty need to understand the challenges faced by administrators.

Next member meeting:

Monday 18 September 2017
5:30-7 pm
Ceritano’s back room

Main order of business: officer elections. Please consider nominating yourself for President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Committee.

Pre-semester brainstorming meeting

Thursday 17 August 2017
5:00-6:30 pm
PK’s bar and grill, downtown

Agenda: officer nominations; debriefing on financial analysis of VT; plans for the coming year

Seeking nominations for President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer

Monday 27 March 2017
5:30-7:00 pm
Ceritano’s back room

Agenda: organizing the budget forum; member recruitment.

Announcing an Open Forum on the VT budget, featuring an independent analysis by Howard Bunsis, Professor of accounting at Eastern Michigan University and AAUP activist. Howard will provide a report, and discuss it with us. He will join us live by WebEx or Skype.

Friday 21 April 2017
2:30-4:00 pm
Goodwin 135
Presentation of the independent report, with Q&A.
Free and open to the entire Virginia Tech community.
Organized by the VT AAUP chapter.

Stand Against the Ban

The AAUP strongly opposes Donald Trump’s unconstitutional and discriminatory ban on entry into the United States for people from some Muslim-majority countries.

Large numbers of our students and faculty members are affected by administration’s ill-considered executive order, which violates so many American traditions and beliefs. We fear that the abuse of power we are witnessing will wreak havoc on our institutions of higher education.

We call on faculty, students, and all citizens to remain engaged in the struggle for justice on every campus and in every community. We call on all reasonable politicians to oppose against this administration’s discriminatory order. Add your name in solidarity.

AAUP Statement, which you can sign

Chapter meeting
Tuesday January 31, 2017
5:30-6:30 pm Ceritano’s restaurant meeting room

Agenda: Metrics, new budget model, university policy on new immigration executive order

At the request of our AAUP chapter, the provost’s office has compiled statistics regarding the numbers of promotion and tenure cases and their outcomes, at the levels of department, college, and university. The report is available on the provost’s website:

Click to access PT_Summary_2010-2016.pdf

Original request submitted by VT AAUP: Letter to Vice Provost re: P&T