18 May Media Advisory: Press Event on Full-Time Faculty Job Security
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2021
CONTACTS
Jeff Schuhrke, UICUF Representative for Liberal Arts and Sciences
847-721-5898 jeffschuhrke@gmail.com
Charitianne Williams, UICUF Communications Chair
773-531-3265 charitianne@gmail.com
UIC Faculty Union To Hold Press Conference Demanding Job Security Measures for Full-Time Faculty
Non-tenure track faculty face career uncertainty despite robust budgets and enrollment projections.
CHICAGO, IL – The union representing faculty at the University of Illinois Chicago, UIC United Faculty, will hold a press event this Thursday, May 20, on the need for greater job security for full-time, non-tenure track faculty. The union has demanded greater attention to job security at a time when UIC is signalling optimism on both enrollment and budget figures. Despite a recent campaign generating over 250 letters to top administrators, Chancellor Amiridis remains silent on these issues, so this Thursday, we will call on the Board of Trustees to match their public optimism with action on faculty retention this summer.
“UIC’s administration is touting impressive student enrollment numbers for the upcoming semester, but they still haven’t definitively told non-tenure-track faculty whether we will actually still have a job in the fall,” said Jeff Schuhrke, a visiting lecturer in the History Department and a member of the UICUF Representative Assembly. “Despite the vital labor we provide as dedicated teachers and mentors, the university disrespects us by making us live with uncertainty and anxiety.”
What: UIC United Faculty Press Event On The Need For Greater Job Security At UIC
When: 10:15am this Thursday, May 20, 2021
Where: Live Teleconference via Youtube: https://youtu.be/csWKZyFl5UM
Almost half (47%) of full-time faculty are non-tenure track, with fixed-term contracts that can be non-renewed without explanation, and with as little as a few days’ notice before the start of the next academic year. This situation is unfair and unnecessary when budgets and enrollment figures are robust.
UIC United Faculty President Janet Smith observes: “This past year we have seen cutbacks and clawbacks, yet this is not solely a pandemic problem, especially since enrollment is up. This reflects decades of disinvestment by the state in higher education but also the lack of equitable investment by the University of Illinois in UIC, where we have the most diverse student body in the system.”
The UIC United Faculty (Local 6456) represents all full-time tenure and non-tenure track faculty at UIC. UICUF is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professionals.
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