College and University Government

Confidentiality and Faculty Representation in Academic Governance

A report arguing that requiring faculty members to sign confidentiality agreements as a requirement to serve on university committees is in most cases inconsistent with widely accepted standards of shared governance and with the concept of serving as a representative. 

Faculty Communication with Governing Boards: Best Practices

From its initial statement of principles in 1915 and its earliest investigations into violations of academic freedom, the AAUP has emphasized the necessity of effective communication among those who participate in academic governance. Based on a consideration of relevant AAUP documents, the current climate in higher education, and feedback on an earlier draft, the final statement urges greater communication between faculties and governing boards in colleges and universities.

The Inclusion in Governance of Faculty Members Holding Contingent Appointments

The proportion of faculty appointments that are “contingent”—lacking the benefits and protections of tenure and a planned long-term relationship with an institution—has increased dramatically over the past few decades. The structures of faculty governance, however, as well as AAUP policies on the subject, tend to assume a faculty that is primarily full time and on the tenure track. This report examines the issues and makes recommendations on how contingent faculty should be included in institutional governance.

Faculty Evaluation of Administrators

Report by the Committee on College and University Governance on principles and recommended procedural standards concerning the evaluation of administrators.  The statement supplements a paragraph in Faculty Participation in the Selection, Evaluation, and Retention of Administrators (1981). 

 

Financial Exigency, Academic Governance, and Related Matters

Report discussing  AAUP policies concerning the role of the faculty in budgeting in good times and when an institution must deal with a financial crisis.

On the Relationship of Faculty Governance to Academic Freedom

Report linking the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the Association's 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities. 

The Role of the Faculty in the Governance of College Athletics

Statement addressing the general allocation of authority in the governance of athletics. It emphasizes the obligation of the faculty to ensure academic primacy in an institution’s athletic program.

The Role of the Faculty in Budgetary and Salary Matters

Statement defining the role of the faculty in decisions as to the allocation of financial resources according to the principle of shared authority set forth in the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities, and to offer some principles and derivative guidelines for faculty participation in this area

Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities

Statement calling for shared responsibility among the different components of institutional government and its specification of areas of primary responsibility for governing boards, administrations, and faculties, and remains the Association's central policy document relating to academic governance.