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…

New Academe Calls on Faculty to Reclaim Governance Role

BY MICHAEL DECESARE Administrative encroachment. Governing board overreach. Political interference. In light of these and other ominous trends, the need has never been more urgent for faculty to reclaim a central role in the government of our colleges and universities. The May–June issue of Academe, now available on the AAUP website, is devoted to academic…

On Outside Speakers and Academic Freedom, Part I

BY HANK REICHMAN “A university without student protests against visiting speakers would be like a forest without birds.” — Timothy Garton Ash, Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World, p. 155 This is the first of three four posts in a series. The issue of the right of controversial and sometimes deeply offensive invited…

Academic Freedom and AAUP Events Coming Up

BY JOHN K. WILSON Here are some upcoming 2017 events related to the AAUP and academic freedom: The AAUP Annual Conference is being held on June 14-17 in Washington DC. Register now: April 15 at midnight EDT is the deadline for early bird rates. Note that during this year’s event, there will also be a special…