An interesting new book, “In the Basement of the Ivory Tower—Confessions of an Accidental Academic,” has been published by “Professor X,” an Adjunct Professor of English (somewhere). Professor X recounts his experiences as a contingent faculty member, both with respect to his didactic experiences and his perceived role in the academic community. In a very stimulating review of this book, Caleb Crain explores the history of Professor X since the professor’s publication of an essay in “The Atlantic Monthly” in June of 2008, an essay on the sad state of affairs of both the professor and his students, each struggling to improve themselves in a decidedly uncaring and hostile academic environment.

This writer makes no judgments about the book (I have not yet read it), but it does appear that the book provides an interesting and topical perspective on one of the key issues facing academia today, namely the effects of running the academic enterprise as a business in which only the bottom line appears to count and the critical role of ladder faculty (who have, through their hard work, commitment, and accomplishments, earned their positions in the academic meritocracy) in educating new generations, has been forgotten. After all, why have the best teach students when we can get the cheapest?

These comments in no way seek to demean contingent faculty who may be stellar teachers as well as wonderful academic and personal role models. These dedicated individuals deserve our support, and accolades. In fact, it is critical that ladder faculty, rather than bemoaning the role of contingent faculty, seek to establish for contingent faculty the same type of meritocracy within which the ladder faculty work, and demand from the university the same recognition, both administratively and financially, that regular faculty with equivalent responsibilities and roles enjoy.

“While the Great Recession may be technically over in the broader US economy, the same cannot be said in the higher education sector. The results of the American Association of University Professors’ annual survey of full-time faculty compensation are only marginally better than last year’s and represent the continuation of a historic low period for faculty salaries. For the second consecutive year, the overall average salary level increased at a rate less than inflation. And this is the fifth of the last seven years in which overall faculty salaries declined in purchasing power.”

So begins the latest report on the status of our profession. AAUP members will receive a hard copy of this year’s report in the mail as part of their member subscription to Academe. All members are encouraged to take a look at this report. It’s up to us to respond to these continuing poor and eroding conditions by aggressively acting to enhance the strength of our profession. We all can do this individually, by advocating for the profession at our own institutions, and by supporting the efforts of the AAUP to defend the values central to our roles as educators and mentors.

All members should have received an email message summarizing the contents of the report. This message is reproduced below for those that may have missed it.

“With three full years of data now available, we can begin to assess the direct impact of the recession on faculty compensation. This year’s report examines two major aspects of the recession’s impact: the ongoing expansion of contingent academic employment and growing salary inequality, both within the faculty and between faculty members and college and university presidents.

We released It’s Not Over Yet: The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2010–11 today. The complete report (including the institutional listings of average salary by rank and gender and aggregate tables for comparison) is available on our website. AAUP members will also receive a hard copy of this year’s report in the mail as part of their member subscription to Academe.

In addition to listing average salary by faculty rank and gender at more than 1,300 colleges and universities, the report provides an important perspective on the economic challenges facing higher education.

Here are some highlights:

In these challenging times, we need as many defenders of higher education as we can muster. If you’re already a member of the AAUP, thank you. We hope that this information helps you advocate for quality on your campus. If you’re not a member of the AAUP, please join us in our work—you already know how important it is, and we’ll be stronger with the addition of your ideas and your experience. In either case, if you have questions, comments, or suggestions about this report, please do let us know (aaupfcs@aaup.org). This is always a busy time of year, but we try to respond to every message. We look forward to hearing from you.”

In an email message sent to the University of California community today, President Mark Yudof discussed the new state budget proposed by Governor Brown, a budget that severely cuts funding to the University. The news was not good. In fact, in An Open Letter to California posted to Facebook today, Yudof remarked, “This is a sad day for California.”

Unfortunately, it is not just today that is sad, but rather the future of higher education in California. The governor’s proposed budget reduces state funding for the University to “1998 funding levels (in nominal dollars).” This reduction comes at a time when the “number of undergraduate students at the University this year is 175,000, compared to 116,000 in 1998-99 twelve years ago.”

One way to support the university is to add your own voice to the debate. President Yudof encourages us to advocate for the University in Sacramento. Please join the AAUP in supporting this advocacy effort by Standing Up for the University of California.

In an open letter to UC (University of California) faculty members, the American Association of University Professors supports calls for collective action–most recently a system-wide walkout of all UC faculty. Such action, the AAUP believes, would send a clear message that disinvestment in colleges and universities reduces the quality of education and does harm to students, faculty, and the public interest.

The walkout calls come as a consequence of the UC administration’s rejection of the unanimous recommendation of the Academic Council about furlough implementation. “The rejection of faculty’s unanimous voice,” says Gary Rhoades, general secretary of the AAUP, “is at best unwise and at worst dismissive of a cornerstone of the UC system’s strength, its faculty.”

The AAUP supports the University of California faculty and faculty nationwide as they mobilize to reverse long standing trends in higher education:

• defunding public universities;
• shifting shares of institutional expenditures from education to administration;
• raising tuition and fees; and
• decreasing the proportion of tenure-track faculty.

Collective faculty votes and actions, the AAUP argues, serve the best long-term interests of students, faculty, the universities, and society.  The faculty’s voice is central to the quality and future of the nation’s educational institutions.

For more information, please contact Gary Rhoades .  The text to a letter to UC faculty is also available on the AAUP’s Web site.