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Letter and report for the Board of Regents regarding their resolution on institutional speech, September 30, 2025.

The following is a letter sent to the Board of Regents with our AAUP chapter's report "Documenting Threats to Academic Freedom and Responsibility at the University of Minnesota."  

September 30, 2025Dear Regents Huebsch, Johnson, Wheeler, Bergstrom, Farnsworth, Gulley, Heins, Johnson, Luger, Mohamed, Turner and Verhalen,
We write to share a report that the UMN Twin Cities Chapter of the AAUP has prepared on the impact of the Regents resolution prohibiting institutional statements addressing matters of public concern or public interest at the University of Minnesota. 
Based on testimony from faculty, staff and students, the report shows that the resolution has a chilling effect on teaching, research, publication and debate on campus and thereby thwarts academic freedom and freedom of expression, which are central to the pursuit of the University’s mission. In the wake of  these troubling findings, we urge you to withdraw the March 14 resolution and authorize a policy based on the Final Report and Recommendations of the UMN President’s Task Force on Institutional Speech, which was developed through shared governance and endorsed overwhelmingly by the Faculty Senate on September 26, 2024 and the University Senate on December 5, 2024.
We prepared this report (attached) after hearing concerns about other methods for gathering feedback on the Regents’ resolution. We appreciate that the resolution calls for the President to report to the Board at its October 2025 meeting on the implementation and impact of the resolution and to invite members of academic and non-academic units to comment on its impact. Yet we heard from community members who declined to participate in this process because the President required them to state their names when submitting comments. The Board’s Virtual Forum also requires names and university affiliation. By anonymizing information, we are able to include the experiences and insights of community members who feared retaliation for sharing concerns through official venues, thus demonstrating the full extent of the chilling of speech and discussion on campus
We would be happy to meet prior to the October meeting to discuss the report. We would also appreciate the opportunity to address the full board at the meeting.
Please let us know when you are available to meet to discuss these urgent matters. We are available to meet individually or in groups, per your preferences and convenience.  Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
The Executive Committee of the AAUP-UMTC:

William P. Jones, President
Heather E. Holcombe, Vice President
Gopalan Nadathur, Secretary
Laura Kane McElfresh, Treasurer
Ruth Shaw, Member-at-large
Sushma Reddy, Member-at-large
V.V. Ganeshananthan, Member-at-large














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  • One Faculty Campaign
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  • Amicus Brief in AAUP vs Rubio