Meetings Notices
Upcoming Meetings! General Membership 8/11 and Executive Board 8/20.
See ‘Meeting Notices, Agendas and Minutes’ for all AY2019-2020 recaps.
New Interim President for the University of Alaska System
Approved by UNAC Executive Board on 3 July 2020 – UNAC Executive Board Welcomes Interim UA President Pat Pitney
Ms. Pat Pitney, Interim President for the University of Alaska System, was welcomed by the United Academics Executive Board with the continued encouragement for careful, thorough, and transparent analyses for all decisions impacting academics, and a call to prioritize the academic mission (teaching, research, and service), honor our differences, build the future, and educate for the common good. This letter also emphasized the importance of shared governance and stated the union’s intention to continue promoting “the diversity of the many unique academic interests and capabilities across our system (UNAC Constitution 2.3), while doing our part to actively dismantle institutionalized racism and discrimination (UNAC Constitution 2.7).” Additionally, the full AAUP Statement on Shared Governance (1966) was included as a reference and United Academics plans to present President Pitney with her own copy of the AAUP Red Book.
#BlackLivesMatter
Approved by UNAC Representative Assembly on 12 June 2020 – United Academics Statement To Embrace Antiracism and Support Black Lives Matter
It is with great sadness and anger that we, the United Academics union, comprising over 1,000 full time faculty members, have observed recent and past horrific acts perpetrated against Black people by police and other institutions that highlight the long history of systemic anti-Black racism in the United States of America. We join Black Lives Matter and other racial justice organizations in demanding equal justice for all and to abolish racism in the USA. As educators, we strive to help every student achieve their full potential. We recognize that Black students living in an unjust society with a long history of oppression face significantly greater hurdles in achieving that potential. For us to be truly committed to reaching racial equity, we must move beyond conversations and discussions and take concrete action to deal with institutional racism and inequality. This must occur at every level of the university, from the recruitment of our student body, to the curriculum we deliver and to the hiring and promotion of faculty, staff and administrators.
We have established the Antiracism, Anticolonialism, and Antidiscrimination Committee to draft an all inclusive statement and actions we commit to that will show our support and commitment to all racial and other oppressed groups in Alaska and the United States of America. Please contact United Academics at alaska.unitedacademics@gmail.com to become a member of this crucial committee to transform United Academics and the University of Alaska to truly just and equitable organizations.
United Academics AAUP-AFT Local 4996 commits to antiracism, acknowledges its past implicit and explicit contributions to systemic racism, and resolves to abolish racism immediately and permanently.
Please click here to view the entire statement.
UNAC Stands for Higher Education
Approved by UNAC Representative Assembly on 03 June 2020 – United Academics Guiding Principles Statement to the UA Board of Regents
The United Academics Representative Assembly sent a Guiding Principles statement to the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska System. This statement included a request for thorough and open analyses for all academic decisions and reference to some of the ideals that are relevant to higher education.
UNAC Guiding Principles Preamble – “We put the academic mission at the center of everything we do, while honoring our differences, remembering our past, looking towards the future, and educating for the common good.”
Watch for related themes in our ‘UNAC Connections’ newsletters!
- Prioritize the Academic Mission
- Build the Future
- Honor Our Differences
- Educate for the Common Good