2024 AAUP Updates

Today, the AAUP’s newly created Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom announced the appointments of fifteen fellows who will examine the evolving threats to academic freedom and institutional autonomy in American higher education over the next two years.

The AAUP is pleased to announce this year’s awards recipients ahead of their official recognition at the 2024 AAUP Conference and Biennial Meeting. The Outstanding Achievement Award will be presented to Kent Ervin (University of Nevada, Reno). The Georgina M. Smith Award will be presented to Dr. Deni Galileo (University of Delaware AAUP chapter). The Marilyn Sternberg Award will be presented to two recipients: Dr. Kenneth Davis (Edward Waters University) and Stephen Mockabee (University of Cincinnati). Congratulations and thanks for your outstanding work in service of higher education!

The AAUP has joined the Double Pell Alliance, a group of organizations and associations advocating for increased investments in the Federal Pell Grant program, in calling for the maximum Pell Grant amount to be increased to $13,000 per year for fiscal year 2025.

Today, the AAUP’s Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom released a new white paper, Manufacturing Backlash: Right-Wing Think Tanks and Legislative Attacks on Higher Education, 2021–2023, detailing well-funded and widespread political and legislative attacks on higher education.

AAUP president Irene Mulvey released a statement along with the presidents of Rutgers, Northwestern, and UCLA ahead of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on May 23.

As part of a coalition of 228 national, state, and local civil rights, consumer advocacy, veterans, disability, and labor organizations, the AAUP has submitted comments supporting student debt cancellation. We encourage the US Department of Education to implement it as swiftly and efficiently as possible and to ensure that it provides the maximum amount of relief to borrowers.

The AAUP and its chapters defend the right to free speech and peaceful protest on university campuses, condemn the militarized response by institutional leaders to these activities, and vehemently oppose the politically motivated assault on higher education.

Faculty at the University of Kansas have voted overwhelmingly for a union, affiliated with the AAUP and AFT. United Academics of the University of Kansas represents more than 1,550 full-time and part-time tenured and nontenure-track faculty; teaching, research, clinical and online professors; lecturers; curators; librarians; grant-funded research scientists, and other academic staff.