Report on Controversial Personnel Decisions

Politically controversial cases involving college and university teachers spurred the founding of the AAUP and have frequently recurred. The disturbing increase in such cases in recent years, arising out of the war on terrorism, the conflict in the Middle East, and a resurgence of the culture wars in such scientific fields as health and the environment, led the Association’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure to form a subcommittee to report on the history and character of politically controversial academic personnel decisions, to identify weaknesses in the principles and decision-making procedures that currently safeguard academic freedom, and to recommend enhanced protections in the conduct of these cases. The subcommittee’s report will be published for comment on the AAUP’s website in late January.