Faculty Handbooks Guide

Handbooks as Contracts

Faculty handbooks can provide a powerful tool to help faculty members vindicate their rights when facing termination or other unwarranted personnel actions. For comprehensive information about what a faculty handbook is and how it can be contractually enforced, check out the new section to Faculty Handbooks as Enforceable Contracts: A State Guide. The guide will allow members to access a more in-depth understanding of the contractual impact of their faculty handbooks on their employment relationships.

Here are some additional AAUP website resources that may be relevant to faculty members with potential contractual claims:

• AAUP Amicus Briefs regarding tenure (these briefs frequently address whether tenure is a contractual right)
• Resources on Tenure
• Responding to Financial Crisis
• Guidance from the National Labor Relations Board

This guide is not exhaustive and is not intended as legal advice. Instead it provides general legal information about this area of the law. The Association urges you to consult a lawyer in your state who is experienced in higher education or employment law. 

Case Summaries and Citations

The case summaries and citations below are for AAUP members and require your member login. Join here to view. 

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Legal Reference Material

Terminology