The AAUP Organizing Committee approved our by-laws and the AAUP Chapter at UT Austin officially launched on March 6, 2023!

UT Austin AAUP Chapter by-laws presented at the Sept. 27, 2021, AAUP@UT meeting and revised April 2, 2022, after feedback from AAUP.

The by-laws were approved unanimously by the AAUP members affiliated with UT Austin on December 5, 2022.

We have submitted the by-laws to AAUP for approval.

AAUP is requesting that we change “students” to “graduate students” under the list of those who can become chapter members. Chapter members have voting privileges. Undergraduate students are welcome to attend meetings. We’ve added a title to the document and dated the effective date of the ratification of the by-laws to be December 5, 2022. Here’s the updated version which AAUP approved:

Professor Suzanne Jones won her lawsuit against Collin College that had fired her for exercising her free speech and academic freedom.  Prof. Jones has been reinstated at Collin College, which is a public community college district in the Dallas, Texas, area.  A key finding by the court is that the President and Provost responsible for the illegal firing could be held personally and professionally accountable because they knowingly violated Prof. Jones’ Civil Rights.

VICTORY: Lawsuit ends with Collin College professor reinstated after being fired for union advocacy, supporting removal of Confederate monuments

AAUP@UT enthusiasts met on Oct 31, 2022, and heard talks by

• Irvin Osborne-Lee (Prairie View A&M) on synergy between AAUP Chapter, Faculty Senate and President Ruth Simmons
• Steve Vladeck (UT Austin) on the Pernell case with enormous potential ramifications for all public universities in the United States esp. those in states that might try to pass laws like Florida’s “Stop W.O.K.E. Act.”
• Patty Quinzi (Texas American Federation of Teachers) on synergy between Texas AFT and Texas AAUP on higher ed issues

AAUP@UT Action Items
Vote.  Candidate statements vote411.org.  More at votetexas.gov & vote.org. 
Support Texas AAUP campaign and Texas AFT campaign for education
Join AAUP or renew AAUP membership (via membership portal).
Plan campus events for professional faculty and instructors of flag courses.
Read 2022 Interim Charges for Texas Senate on Higher Ed pp. 12-13.
Join Legislative Days, State Capitol, TACT Dec 2 & Texas AFT Mar 13 

Texas AFT will be tracking higher ed bills in the State Legislature related to tenure, academic freedom, post-tenure review, faculty senates, guns on campus, and cost-of-living increases for the Teachers’ Retirement System.  With 66,000 members, Texas AFT has significant resources to bear.

Detailed notes summarizing the AAUP@UT meeting are available:

AAUP@UT enthusiasts met on April 4, 2022.

Academic Freedom Panel

Andrea Gore (UT Austin Pharmacy) moderator
Karma Chavez (UT Austin Liberal Arts)
David Rabban (UT Austin Law)
Lynn Tatum (Baylor University Honors College)

Shared Governance

“Weakening Tenure and Shared Governance: The Case of the University of Wisconsin” by Karma Chavez (UT Austin Liberal Arts)

Strengthening Academic Freeedom Panel

• Brian Evans, Engineering, UT Austin, Moderator
• Pat Heintzelman, English, Lamar University, AAUP Member, President Texas Faculty Association
• Jim Klein, History, Del Mar College, AAUP Member, President of Texas Association of Colleges and Teachers
• Anne Lewis, Radio-TV-Film, UT Austin, Executive Board Member of Texas State Employees Union
• Lynn Tatum, Honors College, AAUP Member, Baylor University, Member Texas AAUP Conference Executive Committee

AAUP enthusiasts at UT Austin held a kickoff meeting on Sept. 27, 2021, after a 40-year hiatus:

Relaunch of the UT Austin AAUP Advocacy Chapter by AAUP@UT Conveners Brian Evans (UT Austin Engineering) and Pat Somers (UT Austin Education)

Proposed By-Laws for the UT Austin AAUP Chapter by Pat Somers (UT Austin Education)

Shared Governance Panel by Anthony Brown (UT Austin Education), Brian Evans (UT Austin Engineering), Jim Klein (Del Mar College), and Pat Somers (UT Austin Education)

Each Spring, the UT Austin and Texas A&M Faculty Senates meet to discuss academic freedom, shared governance, tenure, and other matters.

Here are the slides from the presentations by faculty members that set the stage for discussion:

by Andrea Gore (UT Austin Pharmacy) and Rob Mackin (Texas A&M Sociology)

by Brian Evans (UT Austin Engineering) and John Stallone (Texas A&M Veterinary School)

The AAUP co-authored the seminal document on shared governance entitled 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities:

• Jointly formulated by AAUP, ACE and AGB
• UT Austin is a member of the American Council on Education (ACE)
• UT System is a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities & Colleges (AGB)

The six-page document outlines the responsibilities of faculty, the President, and the governing board (UT System Board of Regents for us).

The safeguards of academic freedom in teaching, research and expression include tenure, due process, and shared governance.

The seminal document for academic freedom and tenure in the US is the
1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom & Tenure

• Academic freedom for teachers in teaching, research and expression
• Jointly formulated by faculty represented by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and university administrations represented by the American Association of Colleges & University (AA&U)
• UT Austin and 900+ other institutions are AAC&U members
• More than 250+ professional organizations have adopted this statement

It was this 1940 statement that led to the widespread adoption of these principles in university handbooks in the 1940s, 1950s, and beyond.

The UT System Regents Rules and the UT Austin Handbook of Operating Procedures adopt the wording in the 1940 statement almost verbatim.