Bargaining Protections for Academic Freedom

Academic freedom is central to the ability of faculty and graduate employees to fully engage in their work and to fulfill the public mission of the university. And a collective bargaining contract is one of the best ways to protect academic freedom.

In an AAUP guidebook on this topic, we analyze the content of academic freedom provisions and other CBA provisions closely linked to strong and effective protections of academic freedom. These include provisions concerning protections for the full scope of the bargaining unit and enforcement of academic freedom protections in multiple contexts, such as reappointment, tenure and promotions, and disciplinary cases. Given the importance of academic freedom on all campuses, the analysis and resources in this guidebook should be helpful in developing policies on non-unionized campuses to strengthen academic freedom and its enforcement.

Download the .pdf guidebook here