tear in thick brown paper reveals the word "governance" in block letters on a white background

Special Report on Crisis in Academic Governance

BY MICHAEL BÉRUBÉ AND MICHAEL DECESARE Today, we released the report of an investigation into the crisis in academic governance that has occurred in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigating committee, of which we are co-chairs, was charged with reaching findings on whether and to what extent there were departures at eight institutions…

No Common Good at an Uncommon Institution

BY HUEY-LI LI In the middle of World War II, the AAUP published its oft-quoted 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure in order to “promote public understanding and support of academic freedom and tenure and agreement upon procedures to ensure them in colleges and universities.”  In response to the outbreak of the…

Akron-AAUP and Faculty Senate Response to Program Cuts

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN The announcement this week that the University of Akron will eliminate 19 percent of its degree programs, has received considerable national publicity (see here and here).  The following is the text of a statement responding to the cuts issued jointly by the Akron AAUP and the executive committee of the university’s…

“It’s the End of the University as We Know It”

The following piece was published originally on the website of the AAUP chapter at the University of Akron. Although it addresses issues at their institution, none of those issues are specific to their institution alone. ________________________ {The title of this post] was, quite literally, the take-home message from President Scarborough’s State of the University address.…

Issues with Program Review and the Role of Faculty in Shared Governance at the University of Akron

I present the article that follows this introduction, which is taken from the newsletter of the AAUP chapter at the University of Akron, because what is occurring there now is certainly occurring elsewhere and would seem to be of considerable broader interest. The political endorsements of increasing enrollments in STEM programs and the resulting allocation…