The IFO statewide Contingent Appointments Committee (CAC) kicked off the 2017-18 academic year with a meeting on Saturday, September 16, 2017, at the IFO office. The CAC is an IFO standing committee that is comprised of faculty members with fixed term and adjunct or community faculty appointments from each of the seven state universities. The committee provides advice and recommendations to the IFO on matters of concern to faculty with contingent appointments.
The first order of business for the committee was to elect to continue the appointment of Kathryn Hinds, faculty member in an adjunct appointment at MSU-Moorhead, as the Chair of the CAC. Professor Hinds was elected to serve as the first committee chair last year, and she will now continue in the chair role for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Committee business included electing three faculty to serve on the IFO Board of Directors for the coming year. Michael Earhart, a community faculty member from Metropolitan State University, John Nosek, a Winona State University faculty member with a fixed term appointment, and Saara Raappana, a Southwest MSU faculty member with an adjunct appointment, were elected to IFO Board positions for 2017-2018.
A majority of the CAC meeting was devoted to discussion of current issues of concern including professional development, evaluation processes, orientation for new faculty who are not full time, mentoring from colleagues, and clarity around appointment status. The committee is working on strategies to collect input on these topics and other working conditions from all faculty with contingent appointments.
Committee members attending Saturday’s meeting included Metropolitan State University representatives Michael Earhart, a community faculty member in the Psychology Department, and Lori Schroeder, who has a fixed term appointment teaching public speaking courses. St. Cloud State University faculty were represented by Jill Zasadny who teaches English in an adjunct appointment and Steven McCullar who holds a fixed term appointment in Higher Education Administration. Attendees also included Emily Sauter, a visiting professor with a fixed term appointment in the Communications Department at MSU-Mankato, John Nosek, who teaches Biology in a fixed term appointment at Winona State University, Kathryn Hinds who has an adjunct appointment in the School of Communications and Journalism at MSU-Moorhead, and Ry Marcattilio-McCracken with an adjunct appointment in the History Department at Southwest MSU.
The CAC meets next on January 20, 2018, at the IFO office.