Efforts by state legislators to curtail collective bargaining or destroy public-sector unions, abolish tenure, and decrease funding for education are spreading throughout the country. This author states that the scapegoating and vilification of unions and teachers, however, are not new. The current attacks have historical parallels, when cries of…

Since states fund public higher education, state legislators are essential to reform efforts. An excellent way to familiarize legislators with faculty needs is through a legislative forum, where legislators are invited to discuss higher education issues. Most legislators enjoy the chance to meet with their constituents, say a few words, and learn…

Each year over the past quarter century, undergraduate tuition and fees in the United States have increased by an average of 2.5 to 3.5 percentage points above the inflation rate. This continuous rise recently led one congressman to propose that the government penalize institutions that raise their tuition by more than twice the rate of inflation…

The contributions of Senator J. William Fulbright to public policy in the United States are examined, focusing on a lifetime of public service and the global view that he brought to American policy formation. Cultural tolerance and international cooperation are seen as the major themes dominating his public life. Excerpts of personal comments of a…

Seven politicians who have spent some time in the college classroom as professors or lecturers comment on the influence of their teaching experience on their approaches to law-making. The legislators are: Senator Phil Gramm, Senator Paul Simon, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett, Representative Bob Filner, Representative…

This article contains the transcript of a speech that Robert ONeil delivered on June 12 in Washington, D.C., at the Ninetieth Annual Meeting of the American Association of University Professors. ONeil is professor of law and former president of the University of Virginia, where he directs the Thomas Jefferson Center for Protection of Free…

A statement of the AAUP Committee R on Government Relations on the 1988 elections is presented. The committee is concerned about the debt burdens of college students and the graying of the current faculty. Faculty members are urged to work actively in behalf of candidates. (MLW)

Policymakers in many states are critical of college faculty salaries based on their ill-informed perceptions of faculty workload and perquisites, seldom acknowledging the real reason for rising costs in higher education, its rapid expansion. Faculty and administrators must work together to devise persuasive answers to hostile inquiries by critics…