A Statement in Support of the Report of the Task Force on Academic Freedom Protections for Contingent Faculty Appointments - February 3, 2025
The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities chapter of the American Association of University Professors strongly supports the report and recommendations of the Task Force on Academic Freedom Protections for Contingent Faculty Appointments.
The Faculty Senate authorized the task force to determine how to ensure academic freedom protections for non-tenure track faculty, who now comprise over 40% of faculty appointments on campus. The report finds that the primary instrument for protecting academic freedom for faculty at the University is the Board of Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure. The protections afforded by this policy have been significantly compromised by the appointment of faculty to non tenure-track positions in contradiction to Section 3.4, and by the creation of a parallel track of Professional and Administrative faculty positions that fall outside the scope of the policy. The report recommends that both these practices be stopped. Additionally, it recommends that stronger academic freedom safeguards be built into the Regents policy for faculty who are legitimately appointed in the contract category and that specific measures be developed to protect the academic freedom of librarians.
We strongly endorse the recommendations of the task force. All academic workers at our University require robust protection of their academic freedom. If adopted, the reports’ recommendations will contribute to the realization of the goals articulated in our chapter’s One Faculty campaign. The need to bolster academic freedom protections is especially urgent now when attacks on higher education are intensifying. We urge the Faculty Senate to adopt the report’s recommendations.
The Faculty Senate authorized the task force to determine how to ensure academic freedom protections for non-tenure track faculty, who now comprise over 40% of faculty appointments on campus. The report finds that the primary instrument for protecting academic freedom for faculty at the University is the Board of Regents Policy on Faculty Tenure. The protections afforded by this policy have been significantly compromised by the appointment of faculty to non tenure-track positions in contradiction to Section 3.4, and by the creation of a parallel track of Professional and Administrative faculty positions that fall outside the scope of the policy. The report recommends that both these practices be stopped. Additionally, it recommends that stronger academic freedom safeguards be built into the Regents policy for faculty who are legitimately appointed in the contract category and that specific measures be developed to protect the academic freedom of librarians.
We strongly endorse the recommendations of the task force. All academic workers at our University require robust protection of their academic freedom. If adopted, the reports’ recommendations will contribute to the realization of the goals articulated in our chapter’s One Faculty campaign. The need to bolster academic freedom protections is especially urgent now when attacks on higher education are intensifying. We urge the Faculty Senate to adopt the report’s recommendations.