October's Ethics Forum could provide fireworks

Right now in Utah there is hardly an issue bigger than school vouchers. Sure, polygamy is getting all the national attention, but now that Warren Jeffs is headed for the pokey vouchers will be front and center once again. And UVSC's Ethics Center is going to capitalize on all hubbub with a public forum next month.

So if you are on campus the night of October 3, say around seven-ish, swing on by the Faculty Seminar room (LC243) and check out the action. Guests include State Board of Education Chair Kim Burningham, Chairman of the Board & CEO of Overstock.com Patrick Byrne, Former Utah State PTA Education Commissioner Marilyn Kofford, and Paul T. Mero President of the Sutherland Institute.



If Mero's name seems familiar it might be that you caught his recent essay that he paid to put in local papers. Here it is if you missed it:

Vouchers, Vows, and Vexations: The Historic Dilemma over Utah’s Education Identity. (PDF, www.sutherlandinstitute.org)

That's right, it is part 4 of 6. Paul Mero is like the R. Kelly of conservatives and this is his "Trapped in the Closet". Put this guy in a room with a bunch of radical god-less liberal professors and watch the feathers fly! It is going to be fun.

Hellraising Y. professor receives ethics award from UVSC

David Dominguez is not your typical Brigham Young University professor. Let's face it, the Lord's University doesn't hire too many Berkeley-educated self-described hell-raisers. So it makes perfect sense for UVSC to recognize Dominguez's special place in the community by giving him an award.

UVSC gives ethics award to Y. professor
(Deseret Morning News, September 20 2007)

Dominguez was recognized for his grass-roots community work, particularly within the poorer sections of Utah Valley. I do not let powerful institutions steam-roll the innocent, the poor, the defenseless," he said. "I do not let that happen."

Dominguez hopes that some day all BYU and UVU students will be required to take a course in community justice. Bill Sederburg praised Dominguez's work, and said he wants UVSC's Community of Engaged Learners program to emulate his efforts.

PHOTO BY DON LAVANGE

UVSC prof sounds off on the influence of "Community Values"

Ethics Center director David Keller, has published an article in Academe (the journal for the American Association of University Professors).

Academic Freedom vs. Community Values?


While Keller has a few facts slightly skew, and a condescending tone, it does make for fun reading for those familiar with UVSC's struggles with meeting the expectations of the surrounding community.

One part in particular caught our attention came from an anonymous letter that Keller and other "liberal" professors received early in 2006:

“Eventually, people with a strong Left-wing orientation . . . will leave UVSC because the community will not abide them. They will realize that they cannot be happy here. And like it or not, the community—especially this one—calls the shots.”

The life of UVSC faculty

Over the weekend there were two rather interesting articles that look at UVSC faculty. One was an opinion piece in the Salt Lake Tribune and said that university professors are under-worked and over-paid. It is a response to UVSC's own David Keller, who wrote an editorial in last week's Trib calling for funding to match the school's new mission.

Obviously the author hasn't been around UVSC much (he says that it is located in Provo not Orem...a small mistake to be sure, but telling). He talks about his own experience as a professor at a research university, noting that his work day was over by noon, allowing him to enjoy free swimming and cheap golf. A tour of UVSC's, shall we say, spartan facilities would have been helpful before writing such an article.

There is no doubt that some professors, and let's go ahead and say some UVSC professors, take advantage of the unstructured culture common among colleges and universities. You won't find professors punching time clocks, or doing much heavy lifting. But I would say that the vast majority of professors at any college work hard and earn their salaries and any extra accouterments that get thrown their way.

The other article worth mentioning comes from the College Times and deals with the subject of tenure. This isn't a groundbreaking article, but is nice to let students in on an important part of college life. And you can gaurntee that as the school progresses to university status, the issue of tenure will become more heated.