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AAUP Policies & Reports

Since 1915, the AAUP has been crafting policies for the academic profession on both fundamental principles and emerging issues.

AAUP business reports are published annually in the Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors. Annual meeting reports for 2011 and earlier can be found in the July-August issues of Academe.

Policy Statements

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On Institutional Neutrality

The statement that follows was formulated by a subcommittee of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. It was approved by Committee A in December 2024 and adopted by the Association’s Council in January 2025. Following faculty involvement in the Vietnam Moratorium of October 1969, the AAUP considered “the role of academic institutions in reacting to social issues.” A special committee was appointed to make a statement on “the question of institutional neutrality,” but its resulting statement described conflicting views on the topic rather than endorsing one. The AAUP Council, the statement...

Against Anticipatory Obedience

The statement that follows, prepared by a joint subcommittee of the Association’s Committee on College and University Governance and Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, was approved for publication by the parent committees in December 2024 and adopted by the Council in January 2025. As Donald Trump assumes the presidency for a second time, the outlook for higher education is dire. The new administration’s agenda for higher education has been thoroughly prepared by a series of statewide legal assaults on public colleges and universities in North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and elsewhere...
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Investigation and Inquiries

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Academic Freedom and Tenure: Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania)

This report concerns the actions taken against Dr. Maura Finkelstein by the administration of Muhlenberg College, namely her termination without cause following allegations of anti-Zionism and discrimination based on her social media presence. The committee found that the Muhlenberg administration wrongly utilized the college's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policy and violated Professor Finkelstein's right to academic due process, and that the existing policies do not adequately protect academic freedom or due process according to AAUP standards.

College and University Governance: Spartanburg Community College (South Carolina)

This is the report of an investigating committee concerning the dissolution of the faculty senate at Spartanburg Community College in South Carolina. In April 2023, the SCC administration unilaterally abolished the faculty senate, an action it admitted taking to prevent the senate from voting that day to oppose the administration’s imposition of a policy requiring faculty members to be present on campus for almost forty hours each week.
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Topical Reports

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Contingent Appointments and the Academic Profession

Report examining the costs to academic freedom incurred by the current trend toward overreliance on part- and full-time non-tenure-track faculty. The report recommends that for the good of institutions, of the educational experiences of students, and of the quality of education, the proportion of tenured and tenure-track faculty should be increased.

The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2023-24

This year's Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession presents findings from the AAUP’s annual Faculty Compensation Survey. The report also describes key institutional finance trends in US higher education and documents the ongoing shift in the makeup of the academic workforce from mostly full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members to mostly faculty members holding contingent appointments that are ineligible for tenure.
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Academic Freedom and Tenure: Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania)

This report concerns the actions taken against Dr. Maura Finkelstein by the administration of Muhlenberg College, namely her termination without cause following allegations of anti-Zionism and discrimination based on her social media presence. The committee found that the Muhlenberg administration wrongly utilized the college's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policy and violated Professor Finkelstein's right to academic due process, and that the existing policies do not adequately protect academic freedom or due process according to AAUP standards.

On Institutional Neutrality

The statement that follows was formulated by a subcommittee of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. It was approved by Committee A in December 2024 and adopted by the Association’s Council in January 2025. Following faculty involvement in the Vietnam Moratorium of October 1969, the AAUP considered “the role of academic institutions in reacting to social issues.” A special committee was appointed to make a statement on “the question of institutional neutrality,” but its resulting statement described conflicting views on the topic rather than endorsing one. The AAUP Council, the statement...

Against Anticipatory Obedience

The statement that follows, prepared by a joint subcommittee of the Association’s Committee on College and University Governance and Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, was approved for publication by the parent committees in December 2024 and adopted by the Council in January 2025. As Donald Trump assumes the presidency for a second time, the outlook for higher education is dire. The new administration’s agenda for higher education has been thoroughly prepared by a series of statewide legal assaults on public colleges and universities in North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and elsewhere...

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Criteria for Faculty Evaluation

The Association views the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria in faculty recruitment, promotion, and retention within a broad vision of higher education for the public good. Since the 1990s, many universities and colleges have instituted policies that use DEI criteria in faculty evaluation for appointment, reappointment, tenure, and promotion, including the use of statements that invite or require faculty members to address their skills, competencies, and achievements regarding DEI in teaching, research, and service. Such criteria are one instrument among many that may...

Statement on Academic Boycotts

A new statement approved by the AAUP's Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure and adopted by the Association's Council reconsiders Committee A's prior, categorical opposition to academic boycotts set forth in the 2006 report On Academic Boycotts. It maintains that academic boycotts are not in themselves violations of academic freedom and can instead be legitimate tactical responses to conditions that are fundamentally incompatible with the mission of higher education.

Contingent Appointments and the Academic Profession

Report examining the costs to academic freedom incurred by the current trend toward overreliance on part- and full-time non-tenure-track faculty. The report recommends that for the good of institutions, of the educational experiences of students, and of the quality of education, the proportion of tenured and tenure-track faculty should be increased.

The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2023-24

This year's Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession presents findings from the AAUP’s annual Faculty Compensation Survey. The report also describes key institutional finance trends in US higher education and documents the ongoing shift in the makeup of the academic workforce from mostly full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members to mostly faculty members holding contingent appointments that are ineligible for tenure.

Statement on Online Education

This statement sets forth applicable principles and procedural standards for online education, addressing concerns related to academic freedom and shared governance, learning management systems and virtual classrooms, and intellectual property.
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