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APA Development Letter from Robert Audi

Christopher Pynes

Robert Audi, Chair of the the new APA Development Committee has sent out an email to APA members asking them to donate. As I have written on this blog before, I believe in development as a means for promoting philosophy.  I hope that the development committee reaches out to groups and philosophy supporters other than its members as sources of development funding.  I have included the full letter below the fold for those who are not current members of the APA who might want to donate.  Comments are open for development suggestions.


Dear Colleagues,

I am writing you about opportunities and needs of the profession of philosophy and the APA. As you know, the APA sponsors three international meetings a year, supports teaching and research in philosophy, awards prizes and lectureships, and now has an excellent journal freely given to all members. The APA is expanding its work in support of the profession, but there is much that it cannot do for the profession without the help of members and friends. This is a crucial time for the profession, a time when our professional association needs more resources to address issues such as overreliance on and exploitation of adjunct faculty, and public perceptions of philosophy and the humanities as impractical or unnecessary. The need is urgent.

The APA is asking your help in the first sustained effort it has ever undertaken to enlist the support of the profession in expanding its opportunities and meeting its needs. You probably know of the many APA committees, which focus on teaching, research, career opportunities, defense of professional rights, and much more. You likely also know of such activities as services for philosophy departments and students, summer institutes, and publications in support of teaching and research, now including the Journal of the APA. And you are probably aware of the many grants, prizes, and travel assistance funds the APA provides. We are asking your help and donations in support of these and many other projects.

Donations to the general fund are always welcome and can be used where the need is greatest, and donations can also be directed to Teaching Fund, the Fund for Diversity and Inclusiveness, and the Berry Fund for Public Philosophy. We also need donations for programs we hope to launch with your help: fellowships, curricular development (including teaching at the pre-college level), lectures, prizes, conferences, research support, media training, summer seminars for students, new publications, and more.

Visit the APA’s website to learn more about the programs your donation will support:

Donate today.

I want to conclude by telling you why I myself am supporting the APA and donating to it. I see philosophy as having a unique and essential role in education, in strengthening democracy, and in advancing human knowledge. We have distinctive ways of approaching reasoning, definition, explanation, and theory building. We frame and appraise moral positions in ways no other discipline does. We examine worldviews in a unique and systematic way. As teachers, we require critical writing and practice in formula­ting and solving intellectual problems. We teach the appraisal of arguments, introduce standards of evidence important in any field whatever, and heighten students’ capacity to articulate their own views. There is no realm of human existence we do not explore, no difficult question we are afraid to face, no serious idea we will not consider. Philosophy is essential for the education of citizens, uniquely rewarding for anyone who cares about ideas, and a distinctive contributor to the growth of knowledge.

The APA serves philosophy as no one else does or can, and it needs our support now.

Sincerely,

Robert Audi
John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
Chair, APA Development Committee
raudi@nd.edu

For the Development Committee: Robert Audi (Chair), Ann Cudd, Stephen Darwall, Richard Foley, Karen Hanson, Kenneth Taylor, and (ex officio) Cheshire Calhoun and Amy Ferrer

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5 responses to “APA Development Letter from Robert Audi”

  1. Brian Leiter

    Professor Audi certainly identifies worthy tasks the APA could undertake with more financial support. But I think donors also need some assurance that we won't see more nonsense like the APA statement on "bullying and harassment" that I've written about previously: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2016/02/more-on-the-apas-purported-statement-on-bullying-and-harassment.html The concern that certain committees of the APA have been captured by people with little or no judgment or sense is certainly a disincentive to contributing.

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  2. Philippe Lemoine

    I'm not a member of the APA and, given its recent history, I don't plan on becoming one until I absolutely have to. I also don't have a lot of money, especially now that my funding is running out, so I'm not going to donate any unless I'm reasonably confident it won't be used in a way I find objectionable. And not only am I not confident that, if I gave money to the APA, it would not be used in a way I find objectionable, but on the contrary I'm pretty confident that it would. If you're wondering why, in addition to the statement about "bullying and harassment" that Prof. Leiter mentioned, you might want to read this discussion about the grants that were funded by the APA last year: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2016/01/apas-small-grants-fund-awards-grants-to-ten-projects.html Of course, the APA has no reason to care about what *I* think, but I suspect that many other philosophers, perhaps even a majority of them, share my sentiment. So, if they don't want this funding campaign to be a failure, perhaps the APA's leadership should give it some thought. I just donated a small amount of money to Prof. Sartwell, because I find the way in which he has been treated outrageous, so I'd much rather give money to him than to the APA. I mention that because, as far as I know, there is no indication that the APA has any intention of expressing its support to Prof. Sartwell. The APA was very eager to publish a nonsensical letter about "bullying and harassment", but it doesn't seem to have much interest in supporting a tenured professor of philosophy who is being denied basic due process. I hope I'm wrong and that the APA will soon express its support to Prof. Sartwell, but if I'm not, it speaks volumes about its priorities and I don't want to have anything to do with it, let alone give money to it.

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  3. Joshua Smith

    I'm very thankful to those willing to donate their time and energy supporting and promoting philosophy. I hope that what follows is taken in the spirit of a constructive contribution, rather than mere griping.

    In 2015, I received no fewer than ten emails from the APA asking me to donate money. Five of those emails came in the last six weeks of the year. This might be a strange personal preference, but I'd rather my professional organization NOT ask for money from me quite that often. There's a fine line between reminding people that donating supports the many positive things that the APA does, and badgering them to donate.

    I would rather see the development committee send a couple of emails a year, and then do other things. So here's a positive suggestion toward that end: at the three regional meetings, let's make certain sessions "Quick Question" sessions. Folks in the audience have a free minute to ask a question, when called upon. For every thirty seconds that their question takes after the first minute, the person owes the APA $1 (put toward the questioner's fund of choice). These sessions can be marked as such on the program, and the chair of the session can remind those in attendance of the rule, so that everyone is clear that sticking around for the session commits one to the rule.

    Of course any proposal is going to have drawbacks (How does this get enforced? Mightn't this diminish the quality of Q&A sessions? Will this adversely affect attendance at such talks?). But I'd rather see us try to help the development committee by making positive suggestions than gripe about what isn't being done. (NOTE: that last bit is NOT meant as a slight to the very reasonable considerations Brian and Philippe Lemoine raise above. I am just trying to highlight Brian's reason for opening comments on this thread.)

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  4. anon

    I too have been disappointed by the APA's heretofore failure or refusal to defend Professor Sartwell. To my knowledge they have not even issued a statement condemning his treatment by the college. (I'm happy to be corrected if the APA has in fact done so).

    But this is in addition to the ridiculous statement on "bullying." Both strongly indicate to me that the APA does not deserve my money.

    Reply
  5. Curt

    It may be helpful for APA to sequence their development efforts a bit differently. Were they to pursue a quiet campaign initially, attracting a dozen major donors (roughly $5K and up) before going to the general membership, that'd generate optimism and excitement. The news would be "… We're already 60% of the way toward our goal of $X, so now it's time for you to help…." In turn, the $50 to $500 donor class, which presumably this recent letter is trying to reach, might be inspired to give more generously.

    Prof. Audi is exactly right that if APA members don't support APA, no one else will, but I'd suggest that in annual campaigns, the small donor / general audience typically can provide about one-half of the fundraising goal, and major donors and the collective efforts of the board are needed for the other half.

    Finally, a personal note. I'm a philosophy enthusiast (M.A. in Greats) but not a professional in the field. I'm going to continue my membership in APA and try to give a bit more because I respect the work APA and y'all do. Plus, having studied Prof. Audi's work on *altruism* — how apropos! — how can I say no? Call this a note of support from an admirer on the sidelines.

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