Rider University Chapter of the AAUP
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • Chapter Meeting Minutes
    • Meeting Dates 18–19
    • AAUP Officers
    • Points of Contact
    • AAUP Awards >
      • Bertram Mott Award
      • Henry J. Frank Award
    • P&T Committee Members
    • APC Committee Members
    • UAPC Committees
    • Training for College/School Academic Policy Committee Members
    • Membership
    • Assumption of Risk and Waiver Form for Employees that is required for travel funds
  • Contract
  • Grievances
    • Grievance Process
    • Amendments to Grievance Process, Updated April 2016
    • Grievance Procedure Explained
  • Constitution
    • I - Name
    • II - Purpose
    • III - Membership
    • IV - Dues
    • V - Chapter Officers
    • VI - Committees
    • VII - Election of Officers
    • VIII - Removal of Officers
    • IX - Disciplining of Members
    • X - Meetings
    • XI - Contract Ratification
    • XII - Finance
    • XIII - Amendments
  • Saving WCC
    • Universities as the Guardians of Assets
    • Press Release Kaiwen Finances
    • 2019 Report on Kaiwen
    • DejaVuDellOmo
    • Kaiwen Announcement 1/11/19
    • AAUP Goes to the NJ Assembly
    • Sign the Petition to Save WCC
    • WWCAC Letter November 8 2018
    • Kaiwen Education: Report on Company Performance Through the Third Quarter 2018
    • New Information Reveals Chinese Corporation Plans to Take $20 Million Westminster Choir College Endowment despite Prohibitions Imposed by State/Federal Law
    • More Bad News about Kaiwen
    • Claims v. Reality
    • AAUP Challenges Legitimacy of Newly announced Non-Profit Said To Be Created To Run Westminster Choir College
    • Label Your Stuff!
    • WCC Alumni Council Questions and Answers
    • Statement on Proposed Sale of Westminster Choir College Faculty Union Vows to Continue Oppose ill-conceived Sale of Iconic Music School
    • June 7 Letter to Board
    • A Failure of Due Diligence
    • Bond 2017
    • Chronology of the WCC Crisis
    • Kaiwen Education Technology
    • Pending Legal Actions >
      • Legal Complaints against Rider University over Sale of WCC
    • The Legacy of Westminster Choir College
    • Updates and Information Sent to Faculty from AAUP Leadership >
      • A Letter to WCC Faculty regarding President Dell'Omo's Letter
      • Open Letter to Board of Trustees
      • Letter to Faculty
      • How a For-profit Company Might Ruin Westminster
      • A Message from AAUP regarding the potential layoff of Westminster Faculty
      • ​Update on Westminster
    • Press Releases >
      • Outrage Over Rider University's Plan To Sell Legendary Choir College To Chinese For-Profit Company With No Experience in Higher Education
      • DellOmo Lays Off Entire WCC Faculty
    • WCC Crisis in the News >
      • The Coalition to Save Westminster Choir College Initiates Spin-Off Discussions With Rider University Administration
    • Letters of Support for WCC >
      • Eric Whitacre Praises Westminster
      • Statement of support from NJ Higher Ed Leadership Council.
      • Support for Westminster Choir College
    • Teach In at WCC
    • WCC Teach In Audio >
      • Remarks by Laura Brooks Rice
      • Have American Universities Lost Their Way? by Joel Phillips
    • Governance Standards in Institutional Mergers and Acquisitions
Picture

Picture

The Rider Chapter of the AAUP is committed to preserving the
legacy and future of Westminster Choir College.
For up to date information on our efforts to save WCC,
​click here: SAVING WCC

2019 Report on Kaiwen Education
2/12/19
 
This paper reports on important recent developments at Beijing Kaiwen Dexin Education Technology Co., Ltd. (Kaiwen Education), using information from a variety of resources including the company’s response to a second request for information from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), a request prompted by Kaiwen’s desire to sell additional shares of company stock....  Click the title to access the report.

​Click here for the Press Release

Deja Vu Dell'Omo
​2/8/19

In a meeting with members of the Rider AAUP executive committee, President Dell’Omo accused Rider’s faculty of ‘hiding in their classrooms’ while he does the hard work of 'saving the institution' from financial ruin.

He is wrong on both accounts...  Click "Deja Vu Dell'Omo" to read more
AAUP Leadership: More on the New Hiring Procedures
Jeff Halpern
​11/29/18


Rider AAUP outlines its position on the unilateral hiring procedures instituted by the administraiton. For more information, click the headline.

 AAUP Calls on New Jersey Pols to Intervene in Dispute over Fate of Westminster Choir College In light of Renewed Concern over Academic Freedom and Jobs

AAUP Points to Kean University’s Plan to Transition its China-based Campus Faculty to Direct Employ of Chinese Government.... 

For copies of the letter and supporting documentation, click the headline

Consequences of Accepting What is Untrue!
Micheal Brogan, Rider AAUP President                                            
​October 27, 2018


In the 2017 contract negotiations, we took several hits. There are changes to retirement, increases in individual healthcare premiums, compression of wages over time, loss of travel funds (which have been reinstated but at lower amount), and a loss of summer research funding (there has been a reinstatement of online grants at lower amount than prior fellowships). Since then we have lost junior and mid-career faculty who have left Rider since 2015 (27 faculty members) and then there is the so called 'Sale' of WCC.

In terms of the retirement impact here's what we know. Nationally, the employer contribution to retirement is 7.7% at the 25th percentile and 11.8% at the 75th percentile (source: AAUP annual compensation survey 2017-18). So, what is the impact of the retirement changes from 8.5% employer contribution to 5% mean for Rider faculty? 

An assistant professor making the rank minimum (assuming an age of 40 and a promotion from assistant II to full), will take a first year loss of -$2,534 with the change from 8.5% to 5%. That loss over 30 years (at age 70) is-$113,486. To make this up, you would need to work an additional 15 years.

An associate professor making the rank minimum (assuming an age of 46 and a promotion to full), will take a first year loss of -$3,112 with the change from 8.5% to 5%. That loss over 24 years (at age 70) is -$98,983. The number of years needed to make up difference in terms of drop in Rider contributions: ~13 years.

A full professor with a salary around $120K (assuming an age of 60) will take a first year loss of -$4,200 in the change from 8.5% to 5%. The loss over 10 years (at age 70) is -$44,951. The number of years needed to make up difference in terms of drop in Rider contributions: ~7 years.

Per Rider's IRS financial documents, over the past ten years, total compensation for "Compensation of current officers, directors, trustees, and key employees" increased by 48%. During the same time period, total salary and benefits for faculty and chairs increased by 5.4%

President Dell'Omo has said faculty are paid above market, but members of his cabinet are not (to justify raises and counter offers). On a student FTE basis, President Dell'Omo is the second highest paid in NJ--he beats Princeton and Rutgers for the honor! This is why I believe Dell'Omo has got to go.

Our Fight to Save WCC is Featured in Inside Higher Ed
October 15, 2018

"A Chinese company that until January went by the name Jiangsu Zhongtai Bridge Steel Structure Company plans to purchase a nonprofit American music college. What could go wrong? Plenty, argue faculty members, donors and alumni who oppose Rider University’s plans to sell the Westminster Choir College....."

www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/10/15/chinese-companies-seek-buy-american-campuses

The 150 page document explaining Rider's 2017 bond has been posted for all to see.

Click here to read/download the document

Discouraged, Disheartened, & Dismayed
by Elizabeth Scheiber

Throughout the fall semester, I've had the opportunity to talk to faculty and staff from across the university, and the message I have received repeatedly is our community feels discouraged, disheartened, and even angry. Many have expressed their dismay at the sale of Westminster. These personal reports echo the statistics the AAUP collected in a survey during the summer. At that time, 84.5% of all faculty and 88% of full-time faculty were dissatisfied with the direction of the university. Add to that the numbers that show a disconnect between what faculty value and what they think the university values, the picture becomes clear. While nearly all of full-time faculty think the three areas teaching, research and value are vital parts of their job (98%, 94% and 97% respectively), they did not think the administration valued it: 75% think the administration does not value research, 64% think it does not value faculty teaching, and 62% think it does not appreciate faculty value activities. No doubt due to that disconnect, 69% of full-time and 61% of part-time faculty said they were considering leaving.
​

While the administration may not appreciate all of the hard work we do, we know what we all contribute, and we need to support one another. To that end, we honored faculty who have served on an APC and/or the Promotion and Tenure committee at our November meeting. In the spring, we will celebrate faculty scholarship.

In addition to preparing these appreciation events, the executive committee has been looking at ways we can show how important faculty contributions are to the institution. Come to meetings, check the website, keep you eye out for our communications to find out ways you can let administration know how important your work is.

Governance Standards in Institutional Mergers and Acquisitions
by Elizabeth Scheiber

The statement that follows is excerpted from a longer draft statement, On Institutional Mergers and Acquisitions, which was prepared by a joint subcommittee of the Association’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the Committee on College and University Governance (Committee T) and approved for publication by the parent committees and by the Association’s Council in November 1981... 
Picture

Helpful Links & FAQs

Search the Website

National AAUP Website
Academic Policy Manual

University Anti-Harassment & 
Non-Discrimination Policy & Procedures


When is the next chapter meeting?
I need to contact Jeff or Terri!
Where can I download the contract?
Who is my grievance liaison?

  • Home
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • Chapter Meeting Minutes
    • Meeting Dates 18–19
    • AAUP Officers
    • Points of Contact
    • AAUP Awards >
      • Bertram Mott Award
      • Henry J. Frank Award
    • P&T Committee Members
    • APC Committee Members
    • UAPC Committees
    • Training for College/School Academic Policy Committee Members
    • Membership
    • Assumption of Risk and Waiver Form for Employees that is required for travel funds
  • Contract
  • Grievances
    • Grievance Process
    • Amendments to Grievance Process, Updated April 2016
    • Grievance Procedure Explained
  • Constitution
    • I - Name
    • II - Purpose
    • III - Membership
    • IV - Dues
    • V - Chapter Officers
    • VI - Committees
    • VII - Election of Officers
    • VIII - Removal of Officers
    • IX - Disciplining of Members
    • X - Meetings
    • XI - Contract Ratification
    • XII - Finance
    • XIII - Amendments
  • Saving WCC
    • Universities as the Guardians of Assets
    • Press Release Kaiwen Finances
    • 2019 Report on Kaiwen
    • DejaVuDellOmo
    • Kaiwen Announcement 1/11/19
    • AAUP Goes to the NJ Assembly
    • Sign the Petition to Save WCC
    • WWCAC Letter November 8 2018
    • Kaiwen Education: Report on Company Performance Through the Third Quarter 2018
    • New Information Reveals Chinese Corporation Plans to Take $20 Million Westminster Choir College Endowment despite Prohibitions Imposed by State/Federal Law
    • More Bad News about Kaiwen
    • Claims v. Reality
    • AAUP Challenges Legitimacy of Newly announced Non-Profit Said To Be Created To Run Westminster Choir College
    • Label Your Stuff!
    • WCC Alumni Council Questions and Answers
    • Statement on Proposed Sale of Westminster Choir College Faculty Union Vows to Continue Oppose ill-conceived Sale of Iconic Music School
    • June 7 Letter to Board
    • A Failure of Due Diligence
    • Bond 2017
    • Chronology of the WCC Crisis
    • Kaiwen Education Technology
    • Pending Legal Actions >
      • Legal Complaints against Rider University over Sale of WCC
    • The Legacy of Westminster Choir College
    • Updates and Information Sent to Faculty from AAUP Leadership >
      • A Letter to WCC Faculty regarding President Dell'Omo's Letter
      • Open Letter to Board of Trustees
      • Letter to Faculty
      • How a For-profit Company Might Ruin Westminster
      • A Message from AAUP regarding the potential layoff of Westminster Faculty
      • ​Update on Westminster
    • Press Releases >
      • Outrage Over Rider University's Plan To Sell Legendary Choir College To Chinese For-Profit Company With No Experience in Higher Education
      • DellOmo Lays Off Entire WCC Faculty
    • WCC Crisis in the News >
      • The Coalition to Save Westminster Choir College Initiates Spin-Off Discussions With Rider University Administration
    • Letters of Support for WCC >
      • Eric Whitacre Praises Westminster
      • Statement of support from NJ Higher Ed Leadership Council.
      • Support for Westminster Choir College
    • Teach In at WCC
    • WCC Teach In Audio >
      • Remarks by Laura Brooks Rice
      • Have American Universities Lost Their Way? by Joel Phillips
    • Governance Standards in Institutional Mergers and Acquisitions