Categories
Uncategorized

AAUP National Responds to ODU President

“The particular authority and primary responsibility of the faculty in the decision-making processes of the academic institution in these areas derive from its special competence in the educational sphere. It follows from this proposition that the faculty should play an active and meaningful role in the development as well as in the revision of institutional
policy in those areas in which the faculty has primary responsibility.” – Anita Levy, Senior Program Officer, AAUP National

The AAUP has long maintained that colleges and universities operate best when responsibility for educational decisions is shared among faculty and administrators.

Shared governance can sound abstract, but it is grounded in a practical reality of higher education. Faculty are the professionals charged with generating and communicating knowledge—the core mission of higher education. As they hone their craft, they develop deep, local knowledge about their subject matter, their students, and the best strategies to teach them. That situated expertise should inform decisions made by administration.

Share this post from ODU-AAUP with colleagues:

The principle of shared governance applies fully to online education. Decisions about course modality, design, learning technologies, and assessment are academic in nature and are best made closest to the site of teaching. Imposing uniform formats, delivery modes, or assessment structures without meaningful consultation from faculty disregards the craft of teaching and undermines sound academic decision-making.

It is in this context that the AAUP’s January 13, 2026 letter to ODU President Brian O. Hemphill should be understood. The letter responds to the administration’s claim that the Forward-Focused Digital Transformation Initiative represents merely operational changes.

A large number of faculty, and most importantly the Faculty Senate, have repeatedly requested the administration to pause or modify the implementation of FFDTI. The administration inexplicably has instead maintained a “stay the course” approach.

2026 is a pivotal year for our campus as we move forward with FFDTI. ODU-AAUP urges the administration to not ignore the concerns of their faculty.

You can read the full response from Dr. Anita Levy, Senior Program Officer at AAUP national here. We encourage you to share with colleagues.

For background:

Categories
Uncategorized

The Sky is Not Falling

At the end of the Fall 2025 semester, President Hemphill distributed an email to the ODU community citing multiple reports suggesting a dire outlook for higher education. Similar claims have been made in the past by the administration to justify the Forward-Focused Digital Transformation Initiative (FFDTI).

Members of our advocacy group question whether these reports are applicable to our campus and whether they accurately reflect the university’s financial position and enrollment prospects.

They conclude that the sky is not falling.

See our response to President Hemphill’s letter to the ODU community here.

Categories
Uncategorized

ODU-AAUP Prepares for 2026

As Old Dominion University enters 2026, the campus stands at a critical crossroads. The Forward-Focused Digital Transformation Initiative (FFDTI) has moved from broad strategic vision to concrete implementation. In the process, some deep tensions over how academic programs should be shaped and who holds decision-making authority.

Faculty have raised serious concerns about unilateral administrative decisions and top-down determinations of course modalities. These concerns are not hypothetical—they go to the heart of academic freedom and the faculty’s historic role in guiding the academic mission of the university.

In response, ODU-AAUP is preparing for a year of vigorous advocacy. Our goal is not to halt innovation but to ensure that change honors the principles that sustain a healthy academic community. Faculty expertise must shape curriculum and pedagogy and decisions about course formats must emerge from departmental judgment, not centralized mandate.

The events of 2025—forums, resolutions, faculty surveys, and direct conversations with the administration—made one point clear: faculty voices are essential, and they must be meaningfully included in the university’s transformation.

In 2026, ODU-AAUP will expand organizing efforts, deepen communication with departments, and work collaboratively yet assertively to safeguard shared governance.

Categories
Uncategorized

Adjunct Pay Timing Resolved

In the Fall of 2023, AAUP was presented with a problem. Adjuncts must wait about five weeks before they get their first pay disbursement at the beginning of the Fall Semester. Given the notoriously low pay of adjuncts at Old Dominion University and across the country, this delay can cause enormous economic stress on adjuncts.

ODU AAUP worked alongside Tim Norton, the representative for the adjuncts in the English Department, and Dan Zimmerman, the Office of Academic Affairs to come up with an equitable solution.

In the Spring of 2024 and the Fall of 2024, the Office of Academic Affairs was able to move up the adjunct pay schedule! Thank you Tim Norton and Dan Zimmerman!

Categories
Uncategorized

Adjunct Pay Timing

One of the issues ODU AAUP has taken up in the Fall of 2023 is the timing of the first pay disbursement for our adjuncts.

Adjuncts must wait about five weeks before they get their first pay disbursement. Given the notoriously low pay of adjuncts at Old Dominion University and across the country, this delay can cause enormous economic stress on adjuncts.

The timing of adjunct pay falls within AAUP’s mission of promoting the economic security of faculty.

ODU AAUP is currently working alongside Tim Norton, the representative for the adjuncts in the English Department, and the Office of Academic Affairs to come up with an equitable solution. We believe that a solution is possible that would expedite the first pay disbursement for adjuncts without placing strain on the payroll department.

Categories
Uncategorized

ODU AAUP Responds To Threat Assessment Protocol

ODU AAUP drafted a report in response to the inadequate communication of a safety incident on campus…

“The release of the report once again raised questions about the compelled resignation of Dr. Walker, the use of safety to defend what happened, and the failure to both document and acknowledge the hate expressed in threats made to Dr. Walker and other members of the campus community.”

See full letter here.