Welcome to the new academic year!
I recently had the pleasure of visiting several campuses, where I met with new faculty and faculty leaders. The energy and excitement of the new term were palpable, as was the pride we faculty members take in providing our students with high-quality education and contributing to brighter futures and stronger communities across the state. You are the reason our students attend Minnesota State universities.
At the same time, there is no denying the significant challenges our campuses face. Along with the federal government’s attacks on higher education, our campuses are experiencing recurring budget shortfalls, strained shared governance, and retrenchment. Reacting to these challenges can be exhausting; it might feel easy to feel fear, lose hope, and disengage from campus life. But instead, I invite you to step up and pitch in with your faculty colleagues to build the positive future that we want for students and our careers. We are stronger together, and in our numbers we have the collective power to make that future a reality. In a union, you are never alone!
Part of this future was envisioned at our union’s Delegate Assembly this past spring, where IFO members from all our campuses came together to democratically decide on the vision for our next contract negotiation cycle. Among other things, we assert clear and unambiguous faculty control of the curriculum and want stronger tenure protections.
Winning these priorities in our upcoming contract cycle will require significant collective effort. Importantly, your active union membership makes possible the contract negotiations and enforcement teams, legislative advocates, and faculty leadership who work for you. Indeed, only two months into my term as IFO President, I’ve witnessed firsthand how dedicated your faculty association leaders and our IFO staff are and how tirelessly they work on your behalf every single day. But to succeed, we must all get involved to build and demonstrate our collective power.
Here’s what you can do now:
Show up! Attend campus forums and political town halls to show administration and political leaders that we are paying attention and to hold them accountable for their decisions.
Reclaim governance: Volunteer for committee service. If we are not engaged, our administrations may assume our consent for those decisions they make. Ask your faculty association president for available opportunities. If you are already active, reach out to a colleague and invite them to serve.
Sharpen your skills: Our strength as a union is our nimble, democratic, grassroots structure. Attend online, synchronous organizing training. In this training, you’ll learn how to effectively organize ourselves in this context to achieve our goals. This training is not scary—I promise! Everyone in IFO who has participated has attested to its value. Contact IFO staff PJ Gronquist at gronquist@ifo.org to learn more and to sign up for the November session.
Join in community: Connect with your colleagues in one or more equity caucuses for mutual support and to advance conversations about improving working conditions. If you identify as a faculty member of color, LGBTQIA+, or a person with a disability, reach out to your faculty association president to get involved.
Vote: Cast your ballot this November for candidates who champion funding public higher education. Check your voter registration and vote early if possible.
Stay tuned: Your faculty association leadership may at times ask you to take action, e.g., signing a petition, contacting legislators, or attending a meeting. Please do so and ask a colleague to join you.
If you are a new faculty member to Minnesota State or IFO: welcome! If you are a returning faculty member: thank you for your contributions to our students’ success, campuses, and communities. The impact of our work as faculty is incalculable. And when we as faculty work together, anything is possible.