Our Mission
We believe that the interests of our faculty and the interests of our institution converge around a deep regard for our students, the promise of a liberal arts education, and the mission and vision of Washington College. It is in this spirit — of preserving, improving, and fulfilling the possibilities of our College — that we offer and advocate for transparency, shared governance, equitable employment, and institutional stability.
Transparency
At Washington College, important decisions are made without input from key constituencies. The administration and Board of Visitors and Governors frequently have closed door meetings where decisions about the future of our institution are made. Furthermore, institutional planning and rationale for new initiatives are poorly communicated, and our requests for financial transparency have largely been ignored.
If Washington College faculty have the opportunity to unionize, we could access financial information and gain a clear understanding of how and why certain decisions are made.
Shared Governance
Shared governance means that the various constituents of the institution—faculty, staff, students, Board, and Administration—contribute to decision-making. Shared governance should not be seen as competition for power but instead as a mechanism by which decisions are made and implemented. While not every constituent has an equal stake in every decision, successful governance requires that they all have a means by which to participate in the process.
If Washington College faculty have the opportunity to unionize, we could advocate for a seat at the table. AAUP-WC believes that meaningful participation by all parties in shared governance creates a thriving institution.
Equitable Employment
Washington College has failed to provide its employees with regular and predictable cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), and in 2020 the college revoked employer contributions to employees’ retirement accounts with no notice. Retirement contributions were partially reinstated in 2022, but they were cut once again to 1% as of January 1, 2025. Stipends and compensation for additional faculty labor have also been cut or reduced. Meanwhile, faculty continue to take on additional job responsibilities.
If Washington College faculty have the opportunity to unionize, we could negotiate contracts that clearly define job responsibilities and just compensation.
AAUP-WC’S Platform
The Washington College Chapter of the AAUP developed a platform to guide advocacy work during the 2020-2021 Academic Year and beyond. This platform serves as a direct response to the historical and systemic issues that have damaged the College’s financial stability and undermined working conditions for our faculty. Our most pressing advocacy items relate to 1) the state of shared governance at Washington College, and 2) our working conditions, terms of employment, compensation, and capacity to fulfill the mission of our College. While there is clear overlap between these areas, we present our platform in two parts.
The complete platform statement is available here.