AAUP University of Alabama

10/20/2026

"Shortly after HB580 took effect, Auburn’s Board of Trustees not only embraced this authority but exercised it. In its new curriculum policy, the Board declares that 'no external standard, professional norm, or process can limit the Board’s authority over curriculum.' Students, parents, alumni, and donors should consider these implications. The hubris is astonishing."

Commentary by Beth Davis Sramek: "Auburn’s trustees are asserting that their authority supersedes not only faculty expertise, but professional norms, disciplinary standards, and even accrediting bodies. That has nothing to do with educational quality or student success. It’s a declaration of raw power." https://ow.ly/qvMi50ZZ7EY

10/11/2026

The AAUP along with our Harvard and Boston U chapters, Service Employees Int'l Union, and Americans for Immigrant Justice, have filed a lawsuit challenging two Trump–Vance administration policies that threaten green card applicants with family separation.

The lawsuit challenges new policies from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that fundamentally alter the longstanding process known as “adjustment of status,” which Congress created to allow eligible immigrants already in the United States to apply for permanent residence without having to leave their families, jobs, and communities to pursue a green card abroad.

The policies change the rules for people who have followed the legal process to seek permanent residence and put them at risk of losing their ability to live and work in the United States, being separated from their families, and having their careers and education disrupted.

The case is American Association of University Professors et al. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al.

10/09/2026

Here is a new op/ed about recent harmful changes at state universities in Alabama. Find the link in comments.
"State lawmakers’ meddling in the operation of our colleges and universities has multiple consequences, all of which will hurt rather than help students. First, the new law transfers decision-making power around student learning from experts to political appointees. As a parent investing hard-earned money into tuition for your child, would you feel more or less confident if someone who knows nothing about curriculum design and has no training in a content area–say, engineering–begins to dictate what an intro engineering course must cover?"

09/11/2026

We're meeting between Bryant Conference Center and Hotel Capstone, near the Bryant Museum. Please join us in expressing concerns about this policy, the lack of transparency and meaningful faculty input in its creation, and the harmful effects it will have on our work at UA.

09/07/2026

Guest editorial in the CW: "The University of Alabama continues to invite political interference into the work of UA. After the passage of House Bill 580 in April, University administration has rolled out voluntary compliance to this bill. It is voluntary because UA was explicitly exempt from this bill. The new policies require redundant and more time-intensive post-tenure reviews."

Link in comments!

09/02/2026

Has your new semester been filled with stress about a punitive new post-tenure review program we never asked for and don't need? Come join colleagues who are concerned like you are. Together, we can make sure UA remains a university for everyone.

08/30/2026

Thanks to our members for this clear articulation of what's happening with post-tenure review here at UA and why PTR undermines the integrity of academic work and our students' educations. Read the column at: www.al.com/education/2026/08/a-university-for-alabama-a-university-for-everyone-op-ed.html

08/17/2026

The dissolution of the Faculty Senate and the Staff Council at Jacksonville State University is a travesty, and we see these actions as a power grab by the Board of Trustees. Dissolving the Staff Council was also not required at all in the new state law. Abolishing both of these groups damages the reputation of Jacksonville State, and students suffer when faculty and staff voices are silenced. Education works and students thrive when decisions are made by those in the classrooms who work with students directly, rather than by administrators and lawmakers.

The Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to dissolve its faculty senate and staff council, the latest school to do so after passage of a state law this spring. https://ow.ly/I9Ru50ZA2KI

08/04/2026

The 2026 AAUP Faculty in the South Survey is live. Please take a moment to fill it out. The link is in the comments.

07/24/2026

The UA administration continues to demonstrate that some students' experiences matter to them, and some do not. We stand for the rights of all students to a safe and enriching learning environment.

Last November, The University of Alabama System quietly removed “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” from the list of protected classes in its Harassment and Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination policies. The change is reflected in documents available on the UA System ...