Chair Talk #4 October 2015

Spending time recently at two of the oldest universities in the world (Cambridge and Utrecht) reminded me of the long history of universities, and the civilizing role they play.  Put most simply, universities are not just a place to acquire a vocation that will lead to a good job.  They are most importantly a place to broaden one’s mind, to learn from the past, and to acquire skills, both intellectual and social, that can lead to a fulfilling life of engaged citizenship.

These broader goals are hard to sustain in times of limited resources, but it is essential that we do so.  Faculty, in particular, must play a central role by insisting that our students are more than consumers – they are also the future citizens and leaders of society.  Recent discussions about “coddling” students, and limiting what we talk about in the interest of offending no one are instructive.   Universities are not meant to be safe havens where one is protected against hearing disturbing ideas.  Quite the opposite – universities are exactly the place where one’s notions about the world should be challenged, and challenged regularly – so that every one of us, faculty and student alike, can deploy critical thinking skills to decide what makes sense and what does not.  Without such challenges we will not be able to deal with the real world, where disturbing ideas and more important, disturbing actions, are all too prevalent.

One goal of faculty governance is to help make sure that the climate at the UA encourages openness, in all respects.  In pursuing this goal we need to hear from all of you – what issues would you most like to see us focus on?  We know that some of your answers might not seem directly related to this goal, but just about anything that has an impact on the quality of life for a faculty member at the UA will affect our ability to do the right thing by our students.  So let us know what you think, and feel!

With all this in mind, we are introducing a new feature on our website, that we strongly encourage each of you to look at, and respond to:  a Polling site.  The first Poll will ask each of you to note the priorities you consider most important.   Your responses will be anonymous, so please feel free to say whatever strikes you as important – there will also be a Comments area for more extended input.

This first Poll is open, and we will be reviewing responses until October 9, so please respond promptly.  In the meantime, I hope your semester is off to a good start.

Lynn Nadel