Academic Capture Warning System

BY SAMANTHA PARSONS, DAVID RAPACH, AND BONNIE WILSON The Academic Capture Warning System (ACWS) is a repository of information on clear violations of well-accepted academic norms involving financial donations to institutions of higher education. Such violations jeopardize the independence and integrity of academic research. Key purposes of the ACWS are to: • raise awareness and…

A Crisis of Shared Governance at the University of Tulsa

BY MATTHEW DEAN HINDMAN AND RYAN SAYLOR Matthew Dean Hindman is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Tulsa.  Ryan Saylor is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Tulsa. Since 1920, the AAUP has championed shared governance in higher education; you can even complete its questionnaire to gauge how your…

Students Ask, “Charles Koch Gave $25 Million to Our University. Has It Become a Right-Wing Mouthpiece?”

BY HANK REICHMAN Nestled in the Rocky Mountains north of Salt Lake City, Utah State University (USU) is known for its agriculture, education and space research programs.  In 2008, the Charles Koch foundation gave USU $25,000 every year for one “Koch professor” and the same stipend for each of four “faculty junior professors.”  The agreement…

Solidarity!

BY HANK REICHMAN In case you missed it (I had!) check out this great reggae tribute to teachers’ strikes by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul (that’s Steve Van Zandt of E Street Band and Wire fame), featuring Diane Ravitch.  Last Fall Van Zandt began a Teacher Solidarity Tour, which will, I hope, continue…

Stanford’s Press and Shared Governance

BY HANK REICHMAN In the face of an avalanche of criticism, Stanford University provost Persis Drell has stepped back from a plan revealed last week to end university financial support for the highly esteemed Stanford University Press.  But the reprieve may just be temporary, as Drell agreed only to provide funds for one year.  The…

book cover: How to Run a College

The Must-Read for Your Higher Ed Summer Reading List

BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL The complex challenges facing colleges and universities are well known: changing demographics and consumer preferences, aging facilities, and the need to keep pace with technological advances. College closures and mergers are becoming increasingly common. But what can faculty and other colleges and university leaders — trustees, presidents, alumni and parent boards,…

Chicago skyline with L train in foreground and Roosevelt University building in background

Register for Summer Institute in Chicago!

BY CHRISTOPHER SIMEONE Registration for the 2019 AAUP/AAUP-CBC Summer Institute is open! Join us July 25–28 at Roosevelt University in Chicago. View the complete program and reserve your spot. Summer Institute is a four-day workshop series that connects you with academic activists and develops your skills so you can make change on campus. Defend the…

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Controversial Conferences and Academic Freedom

BY SHERRYL KLEINMAN In late March 2019 at UNC–Chapel Hill, the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East and Islamic Studies held a conference titled “Conflict over Gaza: People, Politics and Possibilities.” The list of scholars, journalists, performers, artists, and films can be found here. On the first night of the conference, Tamer Nafar, a rapper, actor,…