Day: March 13, 2015

National AAUP Council and ASC Elections

Dear AAUP Member:

Ballots for this year’s national Council and ASC chair election were mailed March 6 to the home addresses of eligible members (for eligible members with no known home address, postcards are sent to the work addresses with instructions for obtaining a ballot).  In order to be counted, ballots must be received by April 15. 

If you do not receive a ballot by Wednesday, March 18, e-mail your name, and home address to aaup@election-america.com OR call Election America at (888) 914-5654 with your home address. 

Information about the election—including candidate biographies and campaign statements—is posted at on the AAUP’s website at http://www.aaup.org/about/elected-leaders/elections/2015-election-information/2015-candidate-information.

UConn AAUP Chapter’s very own Diana Rios, Chapter President and Associate Professor of Communication Sciences and El Instituto, is running for a slot in the “At-Large (4yr)” category. Please vote for her and make your voice heard. 

“UCONN Financial Situation: Effect of the Expected Decline in the State Appropriation”

Howard Bunsis, Professor of Accounting and Chair of the Collective Bargaining Congress, presented “UCONN Financial Situation: Effect of the Expected Decline in the State Appropriation” to the AAUP Executive and Compensation Committee on March 1, 2015.

Among other valuable information regarding the financial status of the University, was Howard’s contrasting of President Herbst recent statements on the amount of unrestricted reserves the University has with, what in fact is, reality. President Herbst claims that the University has $80 million of unrestricted reserves. According to the University’s audited financial statements of 2014, the University has $130 million in unrestricted reserves. The $50 million difference may be due to whether those reserves are under a “firm contract” or not. If they are not under contract, they can be used for whatever the University determines they can be used for. Below is a graph of the unrestricted reserves for the University for the past 10 years.

 

 

unrestricted reserve chart