BY MICHAEL C. BEHRENT Interviewer Michael C. Behrent of Appalachian State University is vice president of the AAUP’s North Carolina state conference. Several months ago, something strange happened to Jay Smith, a tenured professor in UNC-Chapel Hill’s History Department: he found out that his dean made his chair cancel a class he had been scheduled…
BY HANK REICHMAN Just days after Professor Dana Cloud of Syracuse University became the object of an organized campaign of right-wing online harassment for a Twitter post, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, closed its doors today “until further notice” in response to threats made after a professor’s Facebook post attracted attention in right-wing media. “Given…
POSTED BY KELLY HAND Dr. Anne Lucietto, of Purdue Polytechnic Institute, is a researcher in STEM education. She is in the preliminary stages of a project concerning educators, especially STEM educators and their experience teaching STEM students. She is requesting that educators at any level—K-12, undergraduate, or graduate—take the survey, which covers three areas: demographics,…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL The range and scope of academic programs in higher education has become increasingly complex. New programs emerge almost daily to adjust to consumer demands and workforce needs. Applicants can easily become confused as they attempt to judge quality, complexity, cost, and a return on investment. The result is often a mishmash…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following is the text of a letter sent today to Senator Kevin de León, President Pro-Tem of the California state Senate, by the Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA), an AAUP partner organization: June 19, 2017 Senator Kevin de León State Capitol, Room 205 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax: (916)…
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…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN On January 31, the AAUP issued a statement on “Targeted Online Harassment of Faculty,” which decried how a growing number of faculty members nationwide “have been subject to threats of physical violence, including sexual assault, through hundreds of e-mails, calls, and social media postings” in response to viewpoints expressed on electronic…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The Trump administration has been designating a theme for each week—most recently, Infrastructure Week, Workforce Development Week, and, this week’s rendition, Technology Week. (I recognize that Workforce Development Week involved a much-publicized visit to a community college, but I doubt that Trump, DeVos, or anyone else in his administration would see…
BY HANK REICHMAN In two free speech decisions with minimal direct relevance to higher education, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled, first, that the federal government cannot refuse to register trademarks that the government deems offensive on racial, religious or similar ground and, second, that a North Carolina law making it a felony for a…
POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The following is a statement from the AAUP and the American Federation of Teachers. The ‘code of ethics’ that the government of Israel is considering for the country’s academic institutions is a threat not only to academic freedom in Israel, but to Israel’s standing as a democracy. We join with colleagues in…