The American Association of University Professors is the
originator and steward of the basic principles of governance and academic
freedom observed by U.S. universities. Inspired by the Vote of No Confidence
process set in motion by NYU's Faculty of Arts and Science, we offer the
following list of requisites for a 21st century presidency at NYU.
New York University, as one of the nation’s leading universities,
needs a president who is deeply committed to
1.
The
Ethos and Practice of Shared Governance
and
who therefore supports
a. the
right and obligation of faculty to define and shape all new academic and
curricular initiatives, including those at global locations
b. the
right and obligation of faculty to be represented on the Board of Trustees
c. the
right and obligation of faculty to participate fully in the choosing of new presidents
and provosts
d. the
right and obligation of faculty to serve, as elected representatives, not as ad
hoc appointees, on top level committees
e. the
right and obligation of faculty to hold regular, plenary assemblies with the
president and senior administrators in order to voice concerns and present new
initiatives
f. the
right and obligation of faculty to have full knowledge of the fiscal affairs of
the university
g. the
right and obligation of faculty to review and participate in the approval of all
new building and expansion plans
h. the
right of faculty, should a majority so decide, to union representation and
collective bargaining
2.
The
Institutional Protections of Tenure and Academic Freedom for Faculty
and
who therefore supports
a.
the steady conversion of NTT into TT
faculty positions at every NYU location
b. the
extension of protections comparable to those that accrue to tenure to all
fulltime faculty who have served continuously for seven years,
c. the
upholding of academic freedom among all faculty, including those not on the
tenure track
d. the
careful protection of academic freedoms through contracts and intellectual
property regulations relating to commercialization of university research
3.
The Principle
of Making an NYU Education Affordable to All Students
and who therefore supports
and who therefore supports
a. the
right and obligation of student representatives to participate in a
university-wide plan to reduce the student debt burden by expanding needs-based
financial aid
b. the
right and obligation of students to be represented on the Board of Trustees
c. the
right and obligation of students to have full knowledge of the fiscal affairs
of the university
d. a
moratorium on the growth of non-academic personnel, offices, programs, and
costs that are extraneous to core academic functions.
4.
The Cultivation
of Mutually Respectful Town-Gown Relations
and who therefore supports
and who therefore supports
a. the
right and obligation of community representatives to review and participate in
the approval of all new building and expansion plans
b. the
right and obligation of community representatives to serve on a committee for
developing university-community initiatives that will benefit from NYU’s
research and resources
5.
The Abatement
of Salary Polarization
and
who therefore supports
a. the
reduction, by at least 25%, of the salaries of the president and senior
administrators
b. the
establishment of a more equitable range spread between the highest and lowest
paid of NYU employees
c. a
suspension of the practice of passing on the costs of benefits spending to
employees
6.
The
Upholding of Fair Labor Standards for All University Employees
and who therefore supports
and who therefore supports
a. the
right of all employees, including graduate student employees, should a majority
so decide, to union representation and collective bargaining.
b. the
right of employee union representatives to expect good faith in collective
bargaining from the NYU administration
c. the
right of all employees, including those contracted to construct and maintain
GNU buildings, to be protected by the ILO's basic international labor standards.
Andrew Ross,
NYU-AAUP president
Molly Nolan,
NYU-AAUP vice-president
Marie
Monaco, NYU-AAUP secretary
Anna
McCarthy, NYU-AAUP treasurer
Rebecca
Karl, NYU-AAUP at-large executive member
Rana Jaleel, NYU-AAUP student member
