I 
  speak 
  today 
  in 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  faculty 
  salary 
  resolution. 
   
   
  
I 
  have 
  prepared 
  my 
  remarks 
  carefully 
  and 
  will 
  read 
  them, 
   
  
because 
  I 
  want 
  to 
  be 
  specific 
  and 
  precise. 
  
I 
  stand 
  because 
  I 
  want 
  to 
  make 
  sure 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  heard 
   
  
by 
  everyone 
  in 
  this 
  room. 
  
 
  
The 
  situation 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  find 
  ourselves 
  is 
  akin 
  to 
  the 
  
challenges 
  that 
  many 
  families 
  face. 
   
   
  
There 
  is 
  good 
  will 
  in 
  families, 
   
  
and 
  I 
  believe 
  there 
  is 
  goodwill 
  here, 
   
  
but, 
  just 
  like 
  in 
  a 
  family, 
   
  
some 
  difficulties 
  cannot 
  be 
  avoided 
  any 
  longer. 
   
   
  
 
  
I 
  am 
  speaking 
  today 
  because 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  responsibility 
  of 
  
senior 
  faculty 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  this 
  role 
  of 
  leadership. 
   
   
  
I 
  take 
  no 
  joy 
  in 
  it. 
   
   
  
I 
  have 
  lost 
  sleep 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  upset 
  for 
  hours 
  on 
  end. 
   
   
  
From 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  of 
  my 
  colleagues 
  in 
  the 
  faculty 
  and 
  
administration, 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  alone 
  in 
  this. 
   
   
  
I 
  suppose 
  I 
  should 
  be 
  happy 
  because 
  I 
  get 
  a 
  raise 
  next 
  year, 
   
  
but 
  I 
  feel 
  the 
  discouragement 
  of 
  colleagues 
  who 
  will 
  not, 
  
and 
  their 
  sense 
  of 
  being 
  disrespected. 
   
   
  
Many 
  faculty 
  might 
  avoid 
  speaking 
  out 
  because 
  of 
  fear. 
   
   
  
I 
  don’t 
  want 
  to 
  operate 
  from 
  a 
  position 
  of 
  fear, 
   
  
rather 
  one 
  of 
  trust 
  and 
  collegiality, 
   
  
and 
  so, 
  from 
  that 
  perspective, 
  I 
  speak. 
  
 
  
Positive 
  notes 
  first: 
   
   
  
1) 
  Budget 
  planning 
  for 
  salaries 
  was 
  moved 
  to 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  
the 
  process 
  this 
  year. 
   
   
  
That 
  is 
  logical, 
  since 
  salaries 
  are 
  the 
  biggest 
  budget 
  item 
  and 
  
must 
  not 
  be 
  put 
  off 
  until 
  the 
  leftovers 
  at 
  the 
  end. 
   
   
  
2) 
  I 
  hope 
  that 
  the 
  consulting 
  company 
  that 
  will 
  work 
  with 
  us 
  
on 
  faculty 
  salaries 
  will 
  be 
  helpful. 
   
   
  
3) 
  The 
  faculty 
  salary 
  announcement 
  was 
  a 
  start, 
  and 
  a 
  start 
  is 
  
good. 
  
 
  

 I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because 
  the 
  Academic 
  Senate 
   
  
and 
  its 
  Faculty 
  Welfare 
  Committee 
   
  
are 
  the 
  only 
  formal, 
  public 
  mechanisms 
  the 
  faculty 
  has 
  for 
  
communicating 
  with 
  the 
  administration 
  about 
  salaries. 
   
  
The 
  Academic 
  Administration 
  Manual 
  states 
   
  
“The 
  Academic 
  Senate 
  is 
  recognized 
  as 
  the 
  official 
  voice 
  of 
  the 
  
faculty 
  in 
  expressing 
  advice 
  and 
  opinion 
  to 
  the 
  appropriate 
  
Administrative 
  Officers 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Regents.” 
   
  
The 
  bylaws 
  of 
  this 
  Senate 
  specify 
  “The 
  Faculty 
  Welfare 
  
Committee 
  shall...negotiate 
  directly 
  with 
  the 
  administrative 
  
officers 
  on 
  areas 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  entire 
  faculty.” 
   
   
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because 
  the 
  Faculty 
  Welfare 
  
Committee 
  presented 
  its 
  detailed 
  report 
   
  
to 
  the 
  Senate 
  and 
  administration 
  about 
  17 
  months 
  ago. 
   
   
  
I 
  spoke 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  Senate 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  as 
  well. 
  
While 
  a 
  consulting 
  company 
  may 
  be 
  helpful 
  now, 
   
  
it 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  hired 
  a 
  year 
  ago. 
   
  We 
  have 
  lost 
  a 
  year. 
   
   
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because 
  the 
  market 
  does 
  not 
  always 
  
correspond 
  to 
  what 
  we 
  believe 
  is 
  important. 
   
   
  
The 
  market 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  ways 
  to 
  measure 
  what 
  we 
  value. 
   
   
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  clear: 
   
  
the 
  University 
  of 
  Portland 
  is 
  thriving 
   
  
but 
  a 
  substantial 
  segment 
  of 
  its 
  faculty 
  is 
  not 
  thriving. 
   
  
The 
  University 
  has 
  constructed 
  or 
  renovated 
  11 
  buildings 
  since 
  
2009 
   
  
and 
  our 
  student 
  numbers 
  are 
  up 
  by 
  30% 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  decade 
   
  
but 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  have 
  a 
  just, 
  sustainable 
  salary 
  plan. 
   
   
  
Faculty 
  salaries 
  have 
  simply 
  not 
  been 
  a 
  priority 
  in 
  recent 
  years. 
   
  
About 
  10-­‐12 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  university 
  stated 
  a 
  goal 
   
  
to 
  keep 
  faculty 
  salaries 
  at 
  the 
  median 
  of 
  a 
  comparison 
  group 
  of 
  
universities 
  based 
  on 
  real 
  data. 
   
   
  
That 
  disappeared 
  fairly 
  soon. 
   
   
   
  
It 
  is 
  all 
  a 
  mater 
  of 
  priorities, 
   
  
and 
  faculty 
  salaries 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  a 
  priority. 
   
  

 Public 
  records, 
  available 
  on 
  the 
  UP 
  website 
  by 
  searching 
  the 
  
number 
  9-­‐9-­‐0, 
  
show 
  that 
  the 
  university 
  had 
  a 
  surplus 
   
  
of 
  over 
  23 
  million 
  dollars 
  in 
  2014 
  and 
  over 
  18 
  million 
  in 
  2013. 
  
It’s 
  all 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  priorities. 
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because, 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  called, 
  
the 
  so-­‐called 
  merit 
  raise 
  pool 
  has 
  functioned, 
   
  
in 
  most 
  cases, 
  as 
  a 
  defacto 
  cost 
  of 
  living 
  adjustment. 
   
  
I’m 
  glad 
  at 
  least 
  for 
  that, 
   
  
because 
  we 
  don’t 
  want 
  actual 
  earning 
  power 
   
  
to 
  go 
  down 
  for 
  faculty, 
   
  
but, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
   
  
associate 
  professors 
  have 
  not 
  received 
  a 
  raise 
   
  
that 
  represents 
  actual 
  increased 
  buying 
  power 
  in 
  a 
  decade. 
   
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  to 
  promote 
  a 
  stable 
  faculty. 
   
   
  
I 
  am 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  low 
  voluntary 
  faculty 
  departure 
  rate, 
  
and, 
  let 
  me 
  repeat, 
   
  
I 
  am 
  convinced 
  that 
  the 
  low 
  voluntary 
  faculty 
  departure 
  rate, 
  
is 
  a 
  primary 
  reason 
  that 
  salaries 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  raised. 
   
  
Following 
  perverse 
  logic, 
   
  
when 
  more 
  faculty 
  leave 
  voluntarily, 
   
  
the 
  ones 
  who 
  remain 
  must 
  be 
  rewarded. 
   
   
  
However, 
  if 
  few 
  faculty 
  leave, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  need 
  for 
  reward. 
   
   
  
This 
  is 
  demoralizing. 
   
   
  
We 
  do 
  not 
  need 
  faculty 
  to 
  build 
  their 
  resumes 
  to 
  leave 
  mid-­‐
career, 
   
  
we 
  need 
  faculty 
  to 
  build 
  their 
  resumes 
  to 
  stay 
  at 
  UP, 
   
  
and 
  that 
  is 
  what 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  faculty 
  here 
  have 
  done. 
   
   
   
  
Tenure 
  is 
  a 
  two-­‐way 
  deal: 
   
   
  
the 
  university 
  agrees 
  to 
  permanent 
  faculty 
  appointments 
   
  
and 
  the 
  faculty 
  commit 
  to 
  the 
  mission 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  
everyday 
  with 
  their 
  lives, 
  everyday, 
  every 
  single 
  day. 
   
   
  
We 
  need 
  people 
  to 
  build 
  their 
  resumes 
  to 
  stay 
  here, 
   
  
and 
  we 
  must 
  reward 
  that. 
  
 
  

 I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because 
  it 
  pains 
  me 
  every 
  year 
   
  
to 
  learn 
  that 
  UP 
  has 
  been 
  named 
  as 
  a 
  best 
  buy 
   
  
in 
  higher 
  education 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  by 
  Kiplinger 
  magazine. 
   
   
  
I 
  cringe 
  because 
  I 
  know 
  this 
  award 
  is 
  earned 
  on 
  the 
  backs 
  of 
  
many 
  of 
  the 
  faculty 
  and 
  their 
  families. 
   
   
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  because, 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  often 
  told, 
  
the 
  faculty 
  are 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Portland. 
  
The 
  associate 
  professors 
  are 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  faculty, 
  
in 
  numbers 
  and 
  in 
  years 
  of 
  service. 
   
   
  
Yes, 
  that 
  makes 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  their 
  salaries 
   
  
more 
  difficult 
  to 
  solve, 
  
but 
  also 
  that 
  much 
  more 
  important. 
  
 
  
I 
  support 
  this 
  resolution 
  with 
  sadness 
   
  
because 
  I 
  see 
  little 
  hope 
  of 
  quick 
  success 
   
  
and 
  the 
  promise 
  of 
  future 
  pain, 
   
  
but, 
  as 
  in 
  a 
  family, 
  we 
  must 
  continue 
  to 
  grapple 
  with 
  this. 
   
   
  
We 
  must. 
  
 
  
And 
  so, 
  for 
  all 
  these 
  reasons, 
   
  
I 
  ask 
  my 
  colleagues 
  in 
  the 
  senate 
  to 
  join 
  me 
  in 
  supporting 
  this 
  
resolution. 
   
   
  
It’s 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  priorities. 
  
It’s 
  always 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  priorities. 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
Michael 
  Connolly, 
  March 
  21, 
  2017