governance

A draft statement released in November by the AAUP argues that requiring faculty members to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of serving on university committees is in most cases inconsistent with widely accepted standards of shared governance and with the concept of serving as a faculty representative. This argument does not apply to those serving on promotion and tenure committees and similar bodies, where faculty members do not serve as representatives but instead are elected to exercise their own professional judgment in interpreting and applying relevant criteria.

The AAUP held its annual governance conference October 26–28, 2012, in Washington, DC. The event featured workshops, panels, a reception, and plenary addresses discussing the role of the faculty in university governance. Presenters included Rudy Fichtenbaum, president of the AAUP; Larry Gerber, chair of the AAUP’s Committee on College and University Governance; B.