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Author: taupaft
A Vision for the Future of Higher Education
Next month, many of us will return to a workplace not seen since the pandemic started.
Yet we have no intention of a return to business as usual.
The coronavirus exposed inequities in our system of higher education and American society.
We must work together to do better, and we must aim high.
Last week, members of TAUP attended the first ever Higher Ed Labor Summit: Building a Movement to Transform U.S. Higher Education.
We joined with more than 75 union locals representing more than 300,000 workers in academia.
We had a collective vision for what higher education could become, and how it could better serve society.
“The summit was just a first step in building synergies and collective consciousness among higher education workers,” said Will Jordan, TAUP president and associate professor of urban education.
“Our colleagues in colleges and universities across the country face common challenges, which can only be solved by working together towards common goals,” Jordan said.
Steve Newman, former president of TAUP, also attended last week’s conference.
“I was very gratified to see hundreds of leaders from higher ed unions,” said Newman, an associate professor in the English Department at Temple University.
“A New Deal for Higher Education welcomes faculty, librarians, staff, and others – strategizing to fight back nationwide against the corporate and austerity-driven vision of the academy that continues to do so much damage. This was only a first step, but a necessary one.”
“The conference was a call to arms,” said Debi Lemieur, who serves as chair of TAUP’s adjunct constituency council.
“Listening to so many others from around the country speak out about the need to fight for better working conditions for ALL of those who work in Higher Education, inspired me to continue that fight here on the local level at Temple University,” said Lemieur, an instructor in the College of Liberal Arts.
All of us should read this Vision Platform on Building A Movement To Transform Education. This platform will energize and inspire.
We could indeed make this happen.
TAUP welcomes President Jason Wingard
Temple has a new president, and we have the possibility of a fresh start.
Dr. Jason Wingard arrives at a crucial time for Temple University. Temple has endured an unprecedented combination of economic and public health crises. And yet – thanks in large part to the efforts of faculty, librarians, and academic professionals – Temple is on the cusp of emerging from the pandemic in sound financial shape, ready to reinvest in our students’ educational future.
But will Dr. Wingard make the right choices?
We know very little about our new President’s priorities. The Administration never publicly discussed who was being considered for the job. Nor were our faculty, librarians, or academic professionals given a chance to meet with the finalists – much less students, or representatives from the North Philadelphia community.
Once again, a public institution has made its decision behind closed doors.
When asked by a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mitchell Morgan, chair of Temple’s board of trustees, refused to disclose Dr. Wingard’s salary.
This is not transparency.
Regardless, there is no doubt that Dr. Wingard is highly qualified for the position, and we look forward to working with him on the challenges Temple faces. We also recognize the historic nature of his appointment, as the first Black president in Temple’s more than 130-year history: a milestone that is long overdue.
Now that he has been appointed, Dr. Wingard faces some stark choices.
Will he double down on the tactics which brought him here, and keep the doors of decision making closed? Or will he invite in the faculty, librarians, and academic professionals – as well as students and community members who have a stake in how the University runs?
Will he continue to impose austerity budgets on Temple’s academic operations? Or will he reinvest this year’s return on our investment portfolio in instruction and research, to ensure we can fulfill Temple’s academic mission for years to come?
In his statement, Dr. Wingard mentioned that Temple boasts a “best-in-class network of faculty and academic resources.” He also stated that he believes Temple’s best days are still to come.
We couldn’t agree more – provided that President Wingard engages in dialogue with our world-class faculty, librarians, and academic professionals and gives us the resources we need to best serve our students.