President Luther F. Carter was awarded with an inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Shared Governance at the state chapter meeting on October 8. AAUP-SC president, Shawn Smolen-Morton, presented Dr. Carter with the award on behalf of the state chapter and all the higher education faculty of South Carolina. The AAUP-SC Lifetime Achievement Award in Shared Governance is given to a SC college or university faculty member or a university administrator in recognition of their extraordinary efforts, support, and leadership in the realm of shared governance throughout their professional career.
Dr. Carter has served in higher education since 1979 as a faculty member and administrator at Western Kentucky University, the University of Florida, the College of Charleston, Winthrop University, and Francis Marion University. As professor, director, chair, university trustee, and president, he has facilitated, modeled, and mentored the principles of shared governance to your colleagues and faculties at each of these institutions. In 1999, he accepted the position as president and member of the faculty at Francis Marion University and immediately set about working with the faculty to restore “openness and mutuality” in the governance. In 2000, the AAUP National removed Francis Marion University from their sanctions list, and in 2001 the faculty nominated Dr. Carter for the Ralph S. Brown Award for Shared Governance. In 2002 he received that award at the annual conference in Washington, D.C., accompanied by members of the AAUP-FM chapter and the faculty executive committee. Shared governance at Francis Marion University had been “brought back from the brink” in large part due to Dr. Carter’s leadership and sincerity in restoring foundational AAUP principles.
Since 2002, Dr. Carter’s efforts have not wavered, but have consistently extended shared governance values at Francis Marion University and throughout the state of South Carolina. He has sponsored activities that include: AAUP New Faculty Orientations and integration breakfasts and luncheons; faculty executive and AAUP-FM members to National Meetings; and AAUP Fall and Spring Forums. Dr. and Mrs. Carter have hosted AAUP-FM Chapter and General Faculty Meeting receptions as well as Faculty Award Dinners where they have supported the annual Charlene Wages Shared Governance Award. On numerous occasions, Dr. Carter has given speeches encouraging faculty to study the AAUP Red Book and to join the AAUP. Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Carter facilitated shared governance conversations between the AAUP-SC and other higher education executives and advocates. These conversations have led to the creation of best practices for colleges and universities and the communication of those practices to local, state, and federal government leaders. Finally, the AAUP-SC leadership has continually offered Dr. Carter’s model to faculties when shared governance was broken or lacking at both public and private institutions.
Going forward, the Luther F. Carter Lifetime Achievement Award in Shared Governance will be awarded when some accomplishment in the area of shared governance is so outstanding as to merit being singled out. The criteria for candidates to be nominated include:
- Demonstration of the candidate’s strong commitment to shared governance;
- Ability of the candidate to work with multiple constituencies;
- Capability to bring about effective change;
- Capacity to communicate to multiple constituencies about the importance of shared governance.