2021 AAUP Updates

It appears that the termination of Daniel J. Pollack-Pelzner's tenured appointment at Linfield University was in flagrant violation of both AAUP principles and the institution's own policies.

A new report gives a brief history of campus police forces; details how campus police forces exist in tension with the AAUP’s core principles and perpetuate structural forms of racist violence; and gives guidance for AAUP chapters that wish to organize to transform campus safety.

A free community college degree is a good first step. As this proposal moves through Congress, we encourage our leaders to expand financial support to more kinds of institutions, and ensure fair pay and workplace protections for faculty.

As part of our broader push for a New Deal for higher education, we’ve endorsed two potential paths toward increased funding for colleges and universities—and, hopefully, more equitable policies to better serve faculty, staff, and students.

Our relief at learning that the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts is tempered by the realization that we were worried this would not be the case even after Mr. Floyd’s death was captured on a video that was seen around the world. The AAUP today pledges to continue our work on rooting out systemic racism in our Association, and dismantling institutional racism in higher education.

The AAUP issued a statement today opposing legislation passed in Florida that purports to protect "intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity" on public college and university campuses. The legislation mandates annual surveys; aims to prevent institutions from "shielding" students, faculty, and staff from offensive speech; and allows students to record classroom lectures surreptitiously.

Average wage growth for all ranks of full-time faculty was the lowest since the AAUP began tracking annual wage growth in 1972. After adjusting for inflation, real wages decreased at over two-thirds of colleges and universities. The number of full-time faculty decreased at over half of institutions.

As part of our broader push to reform the way higher education is financed, the AAUP joined other organizations in calling for a doubling of the maximum Pell Grant and for a recommitment to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.