Victory at Trinity

BY HANS-JOERG TIEDE In a victory for academic freedom, the administration of Trinity College in Connecticut acknowledged today that Professor Johnny Williams’s social media posts “were protected by academic freedom and did not violate Trinity College policies.” The administration’s statement observed that “Our understanding of academic freedom in America today is rooted largely in a…

President Rudy Fichtenbaum’s Remarks at the 2017 Annual Meeting

  I believe that this is the 5th time that I have had the honor of addressing this body in my capacity as President of the AAUP. Let me start by thanking our wonderful staff. Without their hard work and dedication to our cause, we would cease to exist. While I cannot name and thank…

Expressions of gratitude for AAUP for recent censures

NOTE: These two letters were read to the audience directly prior to the votes to censure Community College of Aurora and Spalding University at the AAUP Annual Meeting, June 17, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Statement from Nate Bork Community College of Aurora, Aurora, Colo. Prior to AAUP’s presence in Colorado, all higher education faculty in…

Long-Serving Former AAUP Staff Member Evelyn Miller Dies at 89

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN Today the AAUP issued the following statement: The AAUP notes with sadness the death of long-serving former staff member Evelyn Miller in May at the age of 89.  The Association’s operations in the areas of academic freedom and tenure received essential support for many decades from Miller, who was a member…

AAUP Honors Harry Keyishian for His Legal Fight 50 Years Ago

BY JOHN K. WILSON Harry Keyishian was a special honoree at the AAUP’s annual awards luncheon today ‘for his courage, integrity, and unstinting commitment to academic freedom.” This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Keyishian v. Board of Regents, which established academic freedom as “a special concern of the First Amendment.”…

Why the AAUP Is Wrong about Secret Recordings

BY JOHN K. WILSON Earlier this year, the AAUP issued a statement against targeted online harassment of faculty. This statement has added significance with the news that Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor has cancelled several speeches after receiving death threats in the wake of a commencement speech in which she called Donald Trump “a racist, sexist…