This is very important, the invisible effects of letting the culture wars dictate how the university is run, or even just continuing with that culture wars mentality... it means fewer students come, fewer alumni give, fewer faculty stay or do "not bring their best to class". But when you add to it that faculty pay at CCCU schools has always lagged far behind their peers (particularly those at the Big Schools), and teaching loads + service expectations are extremely high, what it amounts to is: faculty are not valued. So I fear there is little hope of a CCCU "AAUP" accomplishing much. The culture wars mindset extends to the anti-elitism and pro-management position: faculty (particularly because they might criticize their own administration even just internally, or promote more progressive positions) have always been a problem to be "managed," a cost to be kept low, etc. This is part of the culture of fundamentalism and evangelicalism. It may accelerate the downfall of CCCU schools, just as it led to their victim-mentality, their need to embrace and wield political power, and how white evangelicals have shaped our current partisan politics.
This is very important, the invisible effects of letting the culture wars dictate how the university is run, or even just continuing with that culture wars mentality... it means fewer students come, fewer alumni give, fewer faculty stay or do "not bring their best to class". But when you add to it that faculty pay at CCCU schools has always lagged far behind their peers (particularly those at the Big Schools), and teaching loads + service expectations are extremely high, what it amounts to is: faculty are not valued. So I fear there is little hope of a CCCU "AAUP" accomplishing much. The culture wars mindset extends to the anti-elitism and pro-management position: faculty (particularly because they might criticize their own administration even just internally, or promote more progressive positions) have always been a problem to be "managed," a cost to be kept low, etc. This is part of the culture of fundamentalism and evangelicalism. It may accelerate the downfall of CCCU schools, just as it led to their victim-mentality, their need to embrace and wield political power, and how white evangelicals have shaped our current partisan politics.