DEFENDING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ● PROTECTING FACULTY RIGHTS
We are coordinating with CCU administrators to defend academic freedom
Colleagues,
Earlier this month, members of the AAUP/AFT-CCU Executive Committee met with Provost Gibbs Knotts, our university’s provost and chief academic officer, to engage in a candid conversation about the growing national, regional/state and local threats to academic freedom—particularly those stemming from efforts to restrict the teaching of topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
We are pleased to report that the meeting was productive, grounded in mutual respect, and focused on shared values. Importantly, we affirmed the Provost’s strong support for the core academic principles that the AAUP has long championed: academic freedom, shared governance, and the faculty’s central role in the intellectual life of the university. We found this affirmation encouraging, especially in a climate where these principles are increasingly under political scrutiny.
Together, we exchanged perspectives on the growing number of legislative and administrative efforts—at the national, state, and local levels—that seek to curtail academic freedom, limit what faculty may teach, or limit critical inquiry in classrooms. These challenges are real, and we agreed on the importance of remaining vigilant and informed as they continue to unfold.
We also committed to maintaining open lines of communication between AAUP/AFT-CCU and the Office of the Provost moving forward. As both faculty representatives and academic leaders, we share the responsibility of monitoring potential threats to academic integrity and ensuring that responses are thoughtful, principled, and collective.
Finally, the meeting reaffirmed a broader truth: that the preservation of academic freedom is not the task of any one office or organization alone. It requires shared effort, shared vision, and a shared belief in the university’s role as a place of free inquiry and rigorous debate. Although we aim to remain vigilant and pro-active, we left the conversation confident that, even in these difficult times, Provost Knotts shares our dedication to these ideals.
In Solidarity – Joseph Fitsanakis, PhD, President AAUP/AFT-CCU
Harvard sues the Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students. Harvard University is challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands.
● “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard said in its suit. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”.
● Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students and they come from more than 100 countries.
Hope as US universities find ‘backbone’ against Trump’s assault on education. Amid concerns over authoritarian overreach, a growing number of universities are finally resisting the Trump administration’s aggressive actions against higher education, including funding threats and policy demands. Over 400 university presidents signed a statement condemning political interference, and Harvard became the first institution to sue the administration over coercive demands tied to federal funding, with support from numerous academic organizations and faculty advocacy groups.
● Advocates argue that universities must do more than issue statements—they must protect their communities and academic integrity. While some hope Harvard’s lawsuit marks a turning point, many credit students, faculty, and unions with pressuring administrations to act. Faculty groups emphasize the need for unity between institutions and their communities to resist unprecedented federal interference..
A major college accreditor pauses DEI requirements amid pressure from Trump. The WASC Senior College and University Commission, which accredits colleges mainly in California and Hawaii, has paused its DEI standards to review compliance with federal law following a Trump executive order. Although the order does not change existing laws, it threatens federal recognition of accreditors that promote DEI, prompting some to reconsider or suspend such requirements.
● The move reflects growing state and federal pressures to eliminate DEI programs, particularly in Republican-led states with anti-DEI legislation. Tensions arise where accreditor policies clash with state requirements for inclusion, such as protections for transgender students.
● Other accrediting bodies, like the American Bar Association and Higher Learning Commission, have similarly revised or removed DEI language under political pressure.
The Faculty Salary Squeeze: Professors brace for another year of losing ground. Faculty pay in U.S. higher education has stagnated or declined in real terms, while living costs —such as housing and insurance— have soared. Some professors have seen their inflation-adjusted salaries drop by 15% since 2012, despite increasing workloads and taking on multiple teaching roles to make ends meet. Nationally, full-time faculty salaries fell 1.5% from 2013–2023 after adjusting for inflation, and tenure-track faculty have seen a 10.2% drop since 2019–2020.
● Experts attribute the stagnation to shrinking state funding, ballooning administrative costs, and institutional spending on amenities over academics. Meanwhile, top administrators have seen much higher salary growth. Faculty morale is low, and more professors are considering leaving academia. The situation is especially dire for contingent faculty, who make up nearly 70% of the teaching workforce.
● Unionization has surged among faculty, often yielding pay increases through strikes and collective bargaining. However, some institutions are proactively addressing the problem by benchmarking salaries and implementing cost-of-living adjustments.
● Scholars warn that without consistent, transparent salary strategies, colleges risk losing qualified faculty and eroding educational quality. A “reckoning” may be approaching, as fewer applicants are now vying for academic jobs that were once in high demand.
AAUP-CCU 