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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.

2025 AAUP in the News

Faculty Want Answers on Oklahoma’s Suspension Policies

“OU’s decision to place an instructor on administrative leave following a routine grading dispute—a decision it has yet to adequately explain—& subsequent failure to defend her from harassment & discrimination, including reported death threats, raises serious concerns about the University’s commitment to educational standards, academic freedom, and instructor safety.”

UNC System may require all instructors to publish syllabi, course materials next academic year

“Redefining academic freedom now is a red herring — the real story is a small group trying to turn universities corporate,” UNC-CH associate professor and AAUP member Abigail Hatcher said. “Calling instructors 'work for hire' and stripping them of copyright is a surefire way to turn creative thinkers into widgets. And that blocks the public benefits that they offer students and our state.”

Oklahoma college student's failing grade on gender essay dropped amid outcry

“An instructor’s freedom to teach includes the right to assess student academic performance,” Todd Wolfson, the president of the American Association of University Professors, wrote in an email, adding that the AAUP is unaware of any other cases where an instructor was reprimanded in this way for providing feedback while grading. He called the incident “an egregious violation” of academic freedom and due process. “We are gravely concerned that a climate of escalating authoritarian assaults on academic freedom is normalizing politicized interference in classroom teaching and learning,” Wolfson said.

UT-Austin silent on Trump compact as deadline approaches

"This narrative that faculty are indoctrinating students is a manufactured crisis...You can trace it back to a network of right-wing think tanks, but it seems the university is treating it as if it is real.” - Karma Chávez, President of AAUP UT-Austin

Texas A&M University professors now need approval for some race and gender topics

“This really strikes at the heart of what education means & what universities do, which is circulate the exchange of knowledge without fear of retaliation, without fear censorship,” said Rana Jaleel, chair of the American Association of University Professors’ committee on academic freedom."

Professors protest billionaire behind Trump education compact

“It’s clear that faculty, students and staff will continue to show up in ever larger numbers in order to defend the free pursuit of knowledge and advance a vision of higher-ed as a public good,” CAS professor and AAUP member David Markus told WSN. “Ultimately, administrators will need to decide whether they are committed to such a vision, or whether they are collaborators in the destruction of the institutions.”

Democrat’s Win May Upend a Conservative Push in Virginia Universities

Bethany Letiecq, a professor at George Mason University, the state’s largest university, said she expected Ms. Spanberger, a former member of Congress, to defend the state’s university system against the White House, as well as to rescind some of the initiatives imposed in recent years by appointees of Glenn Youngkin, the outgoing Republican governor. “Her influence is going to be really important to try to undo some of the things Youngkin did,” said Dr. Letiecq, president of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors. She said she hoped that Ms. Spanberger will set a new tone that includes “a pushback against all the incursions by the federal government.”

Students, Unions to Protest Trump’s Higher Ed Agenda Friday

“From attacks on academic freedom in the classroom to the defunding of life-saving scientific research to surveilling and arresting peaceful student protesters, Trump’s higher education policies have been catastrophic for our communities and our democracy,” AAUP president Todd Wolfson said in the release. “We’re excited to help build a coalition of students and workers united in fighting back for a higher education system that is accessible and affordable for all and serves the common good.”

Letter to the Editor: Prevent the 'Floridification' of North Carolina Accreditation

"We urge UNC Charlotte administrators to consult faculty before committing to any partnership–whether with CPHE or with Trump's "Compacts with Universities"—that would jeopardize academic freedom and the core values that make UNC Charlotte a trusted institution. "

Repression of Palestine Solidarity on Campus Enabled Anti-Migrant Escalation

“The opposition to the war against Palestinians has become a hammer to destroy academic freedom. Whatever your position might even be on Palestine and Israel, you have to acknowledge that this is the mechanism that’s being used to reshape higher education.” — Bill V. Mullen, AAUP/AFT Local 6741

AAUP-Penn | Marc Rowan does not speak for Penn

"The problems in academia that Rowan highlights is nothing more than an attempt to force Penn and others to bend the knee to the Trump administration’s broader attack on higher education." --AAUP Penn

We must refuse the 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education'

"We must be ready, when it’s our turn, to walk away. Until then, we call on our leadership to work with leaders of other universities to build a broad and unified opposition to this attack on academic freedom. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is already leading the way. Our American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapter has joined the national AAUP in calling for rejection of the compact. We urge Stanford and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to do the same."

'One-sided deal': College presidents see Trump offer rife with peril

“All of these are quite extreme demands that universities forfeit self-governance and academic freedom. There are certainly ways in which U.S. higher education needs to improve. But universities always have, in my experience, worked towards self-improvement without the need to have someone hit them over the head with a cudgel.”

Faculty group hosts panel on preparing for possible Trump intervention

“I don’t think in the long term, maintaining a low profile would eventually bear fruit because sooner or later, they will pass certain restrictions or laws…that will affect us, and we better be prepared by that point with faculty organization.” -Alessandro Gomez

‘A perfect storm’ — more colleges at risk as enrollment falls and financial pressures mount

"Declining international student enrollment is a piece of the larger puzzle undermining the financial health of higher education. What we are going to see is programs shut down, campuses shut down, smaller public or private institutions closing or merging and a curtailment of opportunities for our students." — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President.