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AAUP in the News

When the AAUP speaks, it is the voice of the profession. Read a sampling of what the media is saying about the AAUP.

2022 AAUP in the News

‘This situation is unsustainable’: Stagnant wages fuel resentment among Colorado State University’s nontenure-track faculty

Teaching faculty who don’t have tenure are at the breaking point at Colorado’s public universities. They say their base pay and the huge pay gaps between faculty with similar credentials, between departments, and between women and men aren’t right or sustainable. Surveys show rampant feelings of financial insecurity and resentment on the part of some faculty members who feel mistreated.

KU faculty, academic staff announce effort to unionize

United Academics of the University of Kansas pointed out several issues that it said prompted the organizing campaign: KU’s recent attempt to suspend tenure and its over-reliance on short-term contracts for many teaching faculty, no voice in major decisions about academic programs, stagnant wages that are not competitive with other flagship universities, and a decline in state funding that hinders the kind of world-class research that benefits all Kansans.

Universities Need to Prioritize Educational Investments to Reverse the Great Resignation Trend Among Professors

In order to stem the mass exodus of professors leaving the field, universities must strike a balance between easing the burden on current faculty and hiring new talent. By maintaining virtual course offerings and expanding access to online learning resources, universities can help professors manage their current workload while they work to invest in new faculty and revise academic policies to be clearer and more applicable to advancing technology.

The Cruelty of Faculty Churn

It’s time that institutions own up to what these jobs really are — a means of extracting cheap labor by ruthlessly exploiting the dreams of the most vulnerable academics.

Gov. Cooper orders review of how UNC System leaders are appointed

Since Republicans gained control of both the state House of Representatives and the Senate more than a decade ago, leaders at the system and university levels have generally become more partisan and conservative-leaning, and are generally seen as exerting more political influence on the universities, according to an April report by the American Association of University Professor

AAUP asserts faculty dismissals at Emporia State a ‘grave’ threat to academic freedom, tenure

“It is difficult not to construe what has happened at Emporia State as a direct assault on tenure and academic freedom with grave implications for tenure and academic freedom not only at Emporia State but throughout the Kansas system of public higher education.”

Florida faculty union presses UF on presidential search with 1 finalist

Irene Mulvey, president of the AAUP, said in an interview that she’s never seen evidence to support the “draconian cloak of secrecy” the new law created. “A nontransparent process is an illegitimate process in our view,” she said. “Faculty have to be meaningfully involved in every step of the process and that does not appear to have happened here. It makes it extremely difficult for the person to lead the community.”

"What happens when you put ideologues in charge of a university"

In the United States, tenure has long served as a safeguard for academic freedom. Tenure prevents professors from being fired for discussing controversial ideas. And it's the tenure system that insulates faculty from undue influence by university donors, administrators, and politicians. That's exactly why tenure has become a frequent target of right-wing lawmakers and pundits.

Tenure or Unions? Why Not Both?

Now is not the time to let up on any aspect of building power in the academic labor movement. Now is the time to demand genuine academic freedom for all who teach and research in higher ed.

AAUP Georgia Survey: changes to tenure overwhelmingly unpopular with professors

A recent survey of professors at Georgia colleges and universities showed an overwhelming number want a reinstatement of tenure protections. According to the survey, 93.5% of the 972 faculty who responded agreed that the USG Board of Regents needed to re-instate the ability of tenured faculty to receive a hearing from their peers prior to a dismissal. "If they will just do that simple thing of moving the post tenure policy back under the for-cause policy, we would be happy," said Georgia AAUP President Matthew Boedy.

$4K or 4% raises in first year mark terms of new Eastern Michigan faculty union deal

The deal between Eastern Michigan University and its faculty union was made official Monday in a special Board of Regents meeting. The regents approved a new contract for the Ypsilanti-based university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. This move comes about a month after the union went on strike after the previous contract expired Aug. 31. The four-year agreement, which applies to EMU’s 506 full-time faculty, starts with faculty members seeing a first-year raise of 4% or $4,000, whichever is greater

Eastern Michigan University Faculty Ratify New Contract

The Eastern Michigan University chapter of the American Association of University Professors said Friday that 96% of its members voted in favor of the deal which would include pay raises and more favorable health care coverage.

AAUP to open case against Emporia State after dismissal of 33 faculty members

“What’s happening at Emporia State University in Kansas is incredibly important,” said Irene Mulvey, AAUP president. “By getting rid of tenure, they’ve gutted academic freedom. This is part of a larger attack on education, which is part of the attack on democracy we are witnessing in this country.”

The Problem of Faculty Resignations at Oakland

If Oakland is going to become “a university of choice” it must identify problems facing the faculty and attempt to resolve them. And yet, the university has failed to even ask faculty why they leave. The AAUP wants to understand why our faculty leave Oakland; that way we can improve the working environment for those who remain.

UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members pass resolution as tensions continue over free speech

Last week UNC-Chapel Hill’s Faculty Council passed a resolution affirming the right of faculty members to speak freely and the university’s duty to protect their speech. “[Faculty members] should be encouraged to provide thought leadership, to be public scholars when their work gives them meaningful insight,” said Mimi Chapman during the meeting. “This is what faculty at a great research university does. They weigh in. They share their knowledge and experience. We shouldn’t be intimidated into hiding our light under the proverbial bushel.”