BY HANK REICHMAN In a widely publicized letter to incoming freshmen this week, University of Chicago (UC) Dean of Students John Ellison offered a bold defense of academic freedom and freedom of expression, which included this sentence: Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel…
BY HANK REICHMAN Yesterday the California Supreme Court let stand an appellate court ruling in the teacher tenure case, Vergara v. California, bringing to a close an effort by so-called school reformers to challenge tenure and other rights of K-12 teachers protected by state law. The Vergara litigation was closely watched across the country as a test…
BY HANK REICHMAN Just one week after University of California at Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi resigned following an investigation commissioned by UC President Janet Napolitano, which found she had violated “multiple policies,” “exercised poor judgment” and had “not been candid with university leadership,” a second UC chancellor has announced his resignation, pending selection of a…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The AAUP Foundation Board has approved funds to cover registration fees for up to six faculty members to attend the AAUP Shared Governance Conference and Workshops, with preference given to candidates who are likely to broaden the diversity of shared governance on their campuses. Interested candidates should contact AAUP Executive Director Julie…
BY HANK REICHMAN University of California at Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, who was suspended in April after the UC Office of the President opened an inquiry into allegations of nepotism and misuse of student funds, resigned today after an investigation commissioned by UC President Janet Napolitano found that she had violated “multiple policies,” “exercised poor…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following is the text of an August 8 press release from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT): This week, the California Federation of Teachers filed a substantive new complaint against the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, arguing that the accreditor of California’s community colleges has failed so completely…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following is a partial transcript of Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis’ remarks at a news conference yesterday in response to the new Chicago Public Schools budget: I am Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union. I am joined by fellow officers, Vice President Jesse Sharkey and Financial Secretary…
BY HANK REICHMAN Advocates of academic freedom generally find freedom of information laws beneficial. Such laws enhance public knowledge and debate on the workings of government agencies, including public universities. But as a 2013 amicus brief filed by the AAUP and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) pointed out, “in evaluating disclosure under FOIA, the public’s right to know…
POSTED BY HENRY REICHMAN The following piece by Steve Lubet, Williams Memorial Professor of Law at Northwestern University, was posted originally on The Faculty Lounge. It is reposted with his permission. The Mess at Oberlin Oberlin College just announced that Professor Joy Karega will be suspended with pay for the coming semester, pending the result…
BY HANK REICHMAN Amid the growing controversy over the leak of thousands of emails hacked from servers at the Democratic National Committee, apparently by a group linked to the Russian government, comes this report in The Times of London: President Putin has launched a secret propaganda assault on Britain from within its own borders, The Times can…