AAUP Updates

In episode 1, we discuss grappling with the history of higher education in order to figure out how to ensure that traditionally marginalized voices not only have a seat at the table but are leading the way forward. Episode 2 focuses on how to achieve greater racial diversity and equity in higher education after the Supreme Court overturned forty years of precedent and ended race-conscious admissions as we know it.

Today, the AAUP sent a letter to the administration of West Virginia University warning that it “would view with grave concern any terminations of tenured faculty appointments for financial reasons that are effected in a manner inconsistent with” AAUP-recommended standards. The university’s board of governors is scheduled to vote tomorrow on final recommendations to reduce and eliminate academic programs, which could result in the termination of dozens of faculty appointments, as part of WVU’s “Academic Transformation” process.

After more than three and a half years, student loan payments will resume in early fall. Make sure you’re ready!

The AAUP and the Nevada Faculty Alliance filed a joint amicus brief in support of a former University of Nevada, Reno, assistant professor who alleges that her tenure denial, based largely on assessment of student evaluations of her teaching, violates the Title VII prohibition on sex-based discrimination. 

After months of organizing, more than 80 percent of the 170 faculty at Howard Community College and 100 faculty at Frederick Comunity College petitioned the state Public Employee Relations Board to join the AAUP, AFT-Maryland, and the AFT.

The AAUP urges WVU's governing board and administration to reaffirm their commitment to shared governance standards and the role of faculty in addressing financial crises. 

AAUP in the News

Thu, 09/21/2023  |  Best Colleges

As the survey stated: Academic freedom was identified by over 50% of respondents, while issues related to tenure and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were mentioned by more than 40%. Shared governance, LGBTQ+ issues, and reproduction/abortion access were also significant factors for about 30% of respondents.

Thu, 09/14/2023  |  Inside Higher Ed

The American Association of University Professors sent a letter to Gee and Willis Miller Thursday—an initial step in a process that could lead to an AAUP investigation and the placement of WVU on AAUP’s list of censured institutions. That list warns scholars and the public that “unsatisfactory conditions of academic freedom and tenure have been found to prevail.”

Thu, 09/07/2023  |  Chronicle of Higher Education

The survey was sponsored by the state conferences of the AAUP in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, along with the United Faculty of Florida and the Texas Faculty Association unions. The results, those organizations say, are proof of widespread dissatisfaction with political incursions into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and tenure, among other areas. About 80 percent of respondents described their state’s political atmosphere surrounding academe as poor or very poor, and roughly 60 percent said their institution’s administration had not adequately defended academic freedom and tenure in the past two years.

Tue, 08/29/2023  |  Truthout

Irene Mulvey, president of the AAUP, says that, “Accreditation has become a target in red states and by right-wing politicians because they’ve learned that robust and well-regarded accreditation presents a barrier to their attempts to inject partisan politics into higher education. They are dragging accreditors into this to dismantle that barrier. It’s an egregious violation of academic freedom.”

Tue, 08/22/2023  |  WIVB 4

“I hope that they would show us that they value us,” Finnegan says. “I mean, that’s the whole sort of feeling. As I said, we’re just an expense to be reduced. We’re not a value.”

Upcoming Events

October 3, 2023

A workshop about effective proposal presentation and basic tips for writing language. Participants will also discuss their most successful and challenging proposals.

October 5, 2023

An informal opportunity to talk with staff and members about contract articles, proposal writing issues, and source model AAUP language.

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