VLERA Webinar, “ONE FACULTY: The Case for Tenure for All”
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Virtual Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (VLERA) will be hosting the next webinar, "ONE FACULTY: The Case for Tenure for All," on Wednesday, September 22 from 8:00–9:15 p.m. ET.
During the past 40 years, higher education has seen a sharp decline of tenured and tenure-track positions and an increase in the number of contingent faculty, including full-time non-tenure-track, part-time lecturer, and adjunct faculty positions. More than 70% of faculty positions in the U.S. are now teaching-intensive or teaching only, contingent, and outside the tenure system.
The rising number of contingent faculty without tenure protections is damaging to the institution of tenure itself, and tenure is indispensable to academic freedom. ALL faculty need the protections, independence, and academic freedom that tenure provides. The model by which we make this change is up for debate–the conversion of contingent faculty to tenure, a teaching-intensive tenure model, continuous employment contracts–but “tenure for all” is good for faculty, students, and the ultimate survival of the higher education tenure system.
This webinar is free for VLERA members or $5 for non-members and will be held via Zoom. Zoom link will be provided via e-mail on the day of the presentation.
As a VLERA member, please be sure you are logged in before registering for the event. To reserve your space click on the following link and complete the registration form at the bottom of the page: https://lerachapter.org/vlera/events/one-faculty-the-case-for-tenure-for-all/.
Agenda
- Who are Contingent Faculty in the US?
- The Case for Tenure for All Faculty
- The Rutgers University Experience
- Panel Discussion
SHRM/SLER Recertification Credits
Pending approval
About the Presenters
Carla Katz, J.D.
Carla A. Katz, Esq. is an assistant teaching professor at Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) in the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, where she teaches labor studies and labor and employment law. Prior to joining the faculty full-time, Ms. Katz taught at SMLR as a Visiting Lecturer for more than 12 years, teaching courses in Collective Bargaining, Union Organizing, Women and Work, and Occupational Safety and Health among others.
Ms. Katz is also an attorney with the law firm of Cohen Placitella Roth PC in Red Bank, New Jersey. Her legal practice is primarily focused on labor and employment law representing unions and employees. She works closely with New Jersey’s firefighters and other public employees.
Ms. Katz is admitted to practice law in New Jersey. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall School of Law. Ms. Katz earned both her Masters's and Bachelor’s degrees from Rutgers University in Labor and Employment Relations and Labor Studies. She also writes and lectures on politics, power, and on a broad spectrum of issues affecting working women and men.
Ms. Katz has a long history of representation of union members and workers, including nine years as the elected president of the Communications Workers of America, Local 1034. Additionally, Ms. Katz was appointed Commissioner of the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission and served from 2002 to 2006. Ms. Katz is currently the Vice President for Non-Tenure Track Faculty and formerly the New Brunswick Chapter President of the AAUP-AFT local representing faculty here at Rutgers University.
John Budd, Ph.D.
John W. Budd is a Professor of Work and Organizations in the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, where he holds the Industrial Relations Land Grant Chair. He has authored four books, including a comprehensive textbook on labor relations now in its 6th edition. Professor Budd is a Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) Fellow and past LERA executive board member. He has been chair of the Department of Work and Organizations, Director of the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies, and Director of Graduate Studies for the University of Minnesota’s graduate programs in Human Resources and Industrial Relations. He also created a MOOC entitled “Preparing to Manage Human Resources” which has attracted the interest of over 70,000 students.
Paul Clark, Ph.D.
Professor Paul F. Clark is the former Director of the School of Labor and Employment Relations at Penn State. Clark is the author or editor of five books and he has published over fifty scholarly articles. His primary research interests involve unions and employment relations. His research has focused on collective bargaining in the coal, steel, and healthcare industries. He also has studied the structure and administration of unions in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, and Australia. His most recent work has looked at labor-management partnership programs in acute care healthcare facilities in the U.S. and Scotland. His teaching interests include employment relations, labor law, and labor history.
Clark also regularly serves as a consultant to unions and employers on research and training programs. He has been an active LERA member for several decades, serving as President of both the Western Pennsylvania and Nittany local chapters. He was recently elected as the future President of National LERA. He will serve as President-elect in 2021-2022 and as President in 2022-2023.
Clark received a Masters's degree from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He did additional graduate work at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
September 15, 2021