Achievements | Mission Statement | Vision Campaign
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Overview

Founded in 1915, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is the only national professional organization dedicated exclusively to protecting and promoting academic freedom, tenure, and faculty governance in higher education. 

Affiliated with National AAUP, the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters was designated by a majority of faculty in 1970 as the exclusive labor representative in accordance with the New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act (1968).  As the negotiating representative for 2,500 faculty members, 1,700 teaching and graduate assistants, and EOF Counselors at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters seeks to promote and preserve the professional and economic well being of its unit members for whom it bears legal responsibilities.

As a professional association and in addition to its responsibilities as negotiating representative, the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters and its constituent chapters in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick, and its affiliate, the Part-Time Lecturer Faculty Chapter, seek to enhance the academic environment at the University. During its 30 years of existence, the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters has contributed to the protection and advancement of the profession and well-being of its members. 

Achievements

• Faculty salaries and benefits among the highest at public AAU institutions.Created a generous sabbatical program for faculty
• Established a mutual gains relationship with the University administration for effective collective negotiations and dispute resolution
• Affirmative Action salary and rank review
• Established and improved procedures for family leave
• Effective legislative relations program
• Negotiated comprehensive grievance procedures that protect due process and faculty rights pertaining to academic freedom, tenure, promotion and other working conditions for all members
• Negotiated longevity increases for part-time faculty
• 10% salary increase for TA / GAs in 1999-2000
• Negotiated effective reappointment procedures and training for TA / GAs
• Negotiated effective performance evaluations and professional development opportunities for EOF Counselors
• Advocacy for the continued involvement of retired faculty in the University community

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters is to uphold, promote and defend values essential to the protection of higher education such as academic  freedom, tenure, shared governance, due process, access and diversity, as established by the National AAUP, while at the same time enhancing the quality work life and improving the working conditions and other benefits of those we represent. These endeavors protect the interests of the university community, the academic professions, the organization and the members of our bargaining unit.

The AAUP Vision for Rutgers

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has provided generations of middle and working class students with an affordable university education of very high quality. Through its educational, research, and service programs, Rutgers serves as a powerful engine for economic development, for upward social mobility, and for cultural enrichment. Today, more than ever, the citizens of New Jersey look to Rutgers to drive the recovery from the current economic downturn, to enable the State to compete in the global high-tech economy, and to continue to provide excellent, affordable higher education. At the present moment, however, the ability of Rutgers to continue to fulfill its mission to the people of New Jersey is in danger. Years of underfunding by the State, culminating in the recent large budget cuts, have led to decreases in the number of full-time faculty, larger classes, enrollment caps, physical deterioration of a number of facilities, and substantial increases in tuition. The lack of appropriate State support seriously threatens the ability of Rutgers to continue to provide students with an outstanding education at an affordable cost, to serve as a powerful engine for economic prosperity, and to respond to projected large increases in the number of qualified applicants for admission.

At this critical moment, the Rutgers AAUP has reflected on our vision for the university and what will be required to achieve it, and has formulated the following vision statement, which lays out what is needed to protect the quality of and access to a Rutgers education. We are fully committed to working with the new Rutgers President, with other members of the university community, and with all friends of public higher education to obtain the resources essential for the realization of our vision.

Vision Statement

The Rutgers AAUP is strongly committed to preserving and enhancing the quality and accessibility of Rutgers programs and to advancing the university to the top echelon of public research universities. We believe that to achieve these goals, Rutgers must

• recruit and retain an outstanding and diverse faculty
• recruit an outstanding and diverse graduate and professional student body
• recruit an outstanding and diverse undergraduate student body
• provide students outstanding classroom instruction and mentoring, to the fullest possible extent by full-time faculty members
• provide first-class facilities, infrastructure, and staff support for teaching, research, and service to the citizens of New Jersey
• build on our strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, the applied sciences, and the professions
• uphold, in all its actions, the core academic values of academic freedom and due process, intellectual honesty, shared governance, and respect for the rights and opinions of others
• foster an atmosphere of openness, collegiality, and trust in which all members of the university community work together to obtain the resources required to move Rutgers to the next level of excellence.

Vision Statement Newsletter #4 (pdf, 01-19-05)

Vision Statement Newsletter #3 (pdf, 11-20-03)

Vision Statement Newsletter #2 (pdf, 10-20-03)

Vision Statement Newsletter #1 (pdf, 09-16-03)

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President

Members of the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters elect a president each year. As the chief executive officer, the president is the spokesperson and official representative for the AAUP.  The president oversees the overall operations of the organization, provides direction to other officers and oversees their activities. The president appoints the chairs, the members of standing committees, members of the administrative committees and staff members of the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters with the advice and consent of the Executive Council.   The president can initiate court action on behalf of the Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters, as approved by the Executive Council.

Professor Lisa C. Klein (Ceramics and Materials Engineering, Busch Campus-NB/Piscataway) is currently president. She has been a faculty member at Rutgers for 27 years. She holds a B.S. and Ph.D.  Her field of specialization is ceramic and glass processing. Her Rutgers experience includes the Douglass Project. Her AAUP experience includes: AAUP member for 23 years; Vice President New Brunswick Chapter 2002-05; member of Negotiating Team 2002-04. She can be contacted at (732) 445-2096 or (732) 445-2278, ext. 19.

Link to other Officers and contact information

AAUP Staff

AAUP has a highly dedicated and experienced professional staff charged with daily operations of the office.  Staff work closely with the officers and committee chairs to carry out the mission of the organization. Link to staff members and contact information

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      Phone: (732) 445-2278    Fax: (732) 445-5485    48 Street 1603, Livingston Campus, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8036