March 26, 2018
Re: Open letter regarding recent survey results of Academic Specialist Community
Recently, the Academic Specialist Advisory Committee (ASAC) sent a survey to all Academic Specialists at MSU to better gauge the current concerns of the Academic Specialist community as a whole. Given the unique nature of the role that Academic Specialists play within the MSU community, we feel that the voice of Academic Specialists should be heard with respect to current happenings, as well as day to day activities at the university.
As an advisory committee, ASAC’s charge is to “...advise the Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources on matters relating to the Academic Specialist Appointment system and other relevant issues of mutual concern.” As such, we sent out the survey and the results of the survey questions can be found here (click on the PDF below).
We also received a number of write-in responses, which expressed several concerns, such as:
- Absence of Academic Specialist representation in university governance;
- Job security of Academic Specialists when voicing concerns to upper administration; and
- General sense of frustration with the lack of transparency and communication both within the Academic Specialist community and with the university at large
ASAC is committed to maintaining an open dialogue with the specialist community and promoting the concerns of Academic Specialists on campus. With that in mind, ASAC members are currently working with the Steering Committee to guarantee Academic Specialist representation on the Faculty Senate.
Along with these new efforts, ASAC supports “Survive and Thrive” held annually in the fall, orientation, and additional outreach to colleges so that academic administrators may be more fully aware of the specialist function.
These efforts are detailed on our website. In the meantime, we invite you to attend meetings (schedule), read the handbook, and run for committee membership.
Sincerely,
Your 2017-2018 Academic Specialist Advisory Committee
Your 2018 Academic Specialist Advisory Committee
