The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recently announced sanctions against two institutions, New College of Florida and Spartanburg Community College, for violations of academic freedom and shared governance.
The AAUP, a national organization that advocates for academic freedom and shared governance in higher education, imposed sanctions on New College of Florida for failing to renew the appointment of a faculty member without due process. The faculty member in question had been denied a tenure-track position despite strong support from students, colleagues, and academic administrators. The AAUP found that the college had violated longstanding principles of academic freedom and due process in its decision-making process.
Similarly, Spartanburg Community College was sanctioned by the AAUP for dismissing a long-serving faculty member without adequate cause or due process. The college had failed to provide the faculty member with a fair hearing and had not followed established procedures for dismissing a tenured faculty member. The AAUP concluded that the college’s actions were a violation of academic freedom and shared governance.
In response to these violations, the AAUP has placed both New College of Florida and Spartanburg Community College on its list of censured institutions. This means that the AAUP will not recommend professors for positions at these institutions and will discourage its members from accepting appointments or speaking engagements at these schools.
The sanctions imposed by the AAUP serve as a reminder of the importance of upholding academic freedom and shared governance in higher education. These principles are fundamental to the mission of colleges and universities, as they ensure that faculty members are able to pursue their research and teaching without fear of reprisal and have a say in the decision-making processes of their institutions.
It is crucial for institutions of higher education to adhere to the principles of academic freedom and shared governance in order to maintain a productive and intellectually vibrant academic community. The actions taken by the AAUP against New College of Florida and Spartanburg Community College underscore the importance of upholding these principles and serve as a warning to other institutions that violate them.
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