Dear Supporters of the Frederick Community College Full-Time Faculty Union (United Academics of Maryland):
Thank you for showing your support to our faculty as we attempt to negotiate our first union contract with the goal of expanding our voice as student advocates and creating the right learning AND working conditions for a sustainable future. Your advocacy has helped us amplify our role at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, we still have not reached an agreement and we are writing to inform you of new attacks on shared governance on our campus. We need your help.
The latest attacks on shared governance:
Earlier this month, FCC Department Chairs were called to a meeting with the Provost, who indicated that the current model of Department Chair leadership would end at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year. Chairs at several other recently unionized Community Colleges across Maryland are now also hearing threats of elimination, creating a dangerous precedent which we regard as a clear attempt to remove power from faculty. This is of even greater concern when contextualized in other erosion to faculty’s long-held roles in shared governance witnessed across the country, and the FCC administration’s continued refusal to negotiate shared governance into our Collective Bargaining Agreement.
As such, we are launching a public campaign centered on three demands:
- Ongoing, meaningful faculty participation in departmental and college wide shared governance codified into the Collective Bargaining Agreement
- Preservation of the faculty chairs position and program manager position or equivalent
- Reasonable allocation of time and/or compensation for shared governance duties
Why this is concerning:
Department Chairs are full-time faculty members who are elected by their peers to serve three-year terms. The faculty members holding these positions come from our departments and continue to teach while serving as Chairs, which provides them with invaluable insight into not only current experiences in teaching, but also knowledge of their field(s). Department Chair candidates are our peers, and we democratically elect them. Given the growing workloads and rapidly increased expectations, we agree that the current model of Department Chair positions is in need of adjustment. However, we strongly refute a restructuring that excludes faculty voice and expertise. We are concerned that a reorganization of Chair work without faculty input could result in a new system that removes many of the key strengths of our current system. We are also concerned that the process of reorganizing and/or redistributing Chair work in a one-year timeframe will create major disruptions to student learning and college processes. Department Chairs are elected by and represent their peers, which is a clear example of the shared governance and academic freedom that are hallmarks of faculty roles in higher education.
The faculty of FCC have deep institutional history, pedagogical insights, and knowledge of today’s students, a portfolio that is unique to those who have dedicated their careers to teaching at FCC. Faculty members have been the beating heart of our institution since its founding and have been instrumental in helping the College navigate forward amid leadership challenges and administrative turnover, through a global pandemic, and beyond. We have seen many administrators come and go, but the faculty continue to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the learning and success of students here at FCC. FCC is our workplace home. We strive, every day, to make a difference for OUR students in OUR community.
Our faculty union (United Academics of Maryland – Frederick Community College) strongly opposes the unilateral move to end Department Chairs and demands that faculty members be an integral part of the solution. Who knows the role of faculty and Department Chairs better than anyone? We do! Our voices and experiences are needed to continue the long tradition of academic excellence at Frederick Community College.
What can you do:
We are asking all of our supporters to make a social media post the week of Wednesday, July 24th, in support of our faculty union. We ask for posts to be either a short positive statement or a video sharing what FCC faculty mean to you, and conclude with “I support the FCC Full-Time Faculty Union, and ask the administration to preserve the role of Department Chairs and codify the role of faculty shared governance into the union contract. #UAMDstrong @frederickcommunitycollege @uamdcc @fccuamd.”
We also ask you to get two or more friends to join our e-list so that we can grow our base for the next ask in our escalation campaign. Our next action will be a phone blitz to the FCC President’s office on Thursday, August 1st, between 1PM and 3PM. Sign up for our e-list here: https://forms.gle/qzMkRVVzGUZZgPpa7
Stay tuned here or on our Facebook page for next steps in our campaign to secure faculty voice and how you can help!
Sincerely,
Frederick Community College Faculty at United Academics of Maryland