2024 AAUP Updates

The Build Back Better Act funds essential financial aid programs, but fails to deliver on the reforms we need. It goes without saying that we are disappointed in these developments. 

New regulations have been proposed by the US Department of Education to recognize the difficulties faced by contingent faculty in their pursuit of PSLF; while they are a huge improvement from the current program, the proposed rules must go further to meet the needs of faculty. Art historian and Pennsylvania AAUP state conference president Jessica Sponsler offered comments to the rulemaking committee during their second week of negotiations.

UF’s decision constitutes an egregious violation of faculty members’ academic freedom and is almost certainly a violation of their free speech rights as citizens. The AAUP stands in solidarity with these scholars in accordance with our mission statement to advance academic freedom in American colleges and universities. We affirm their right to provide expert testimony and will provide whatever assistance we can to support them in their efforts.

The AAUP will conduct an investigation of the system after its board of regents voted to adopt a post-tenure review policy that makes it possible to fire a tenured faculty member without a dismissal hearing.

Yesterday, plaintiffs including the University of Oklahoma chapter of the AAUP filed a lawsuit challenging an Oklahoma law that severely restricts faculty at public institutions in the state from teaching about race and gender.

The AAUP's latest report on faculty governance finds over all, faculty representation is up over time, but faculty participation in presidential searches is down, as is full participation of part-time faculty members.

AAUP president Irene Mulvey says the AAUP will investigate and censure the University System of Georgia as the board of regents nears a vote that would essentially remove tenure protections.

New regulations have been proposed by the US Department of Education to recognize the difficulties faced by contingent faculty in their pursuit of PSLF; while they are a huge improvement from the current program, the proposed rules must go further to meet the needs of faculty. Former professor and current AAUP staff member David Kociemba offered comments to the rulemaking committee during their first week of negotiations.