What we stand for
The AAUP is the only national organization exclusively representing the
interests of all college and university faculty members. Founded in 1915, the
AAUP
- establishes and maintains standards for academic due process and faculty
participation in academic decision making
- participates in precedent setting court cases involving academic freedom
and tenure issues
- represents faculty interests in state and federal legislatures
- provides comprehensive data on the economic status of the profession
- offers professional liability insurance and other membership benefits and
services
Active AAUP membership is open to teaching faculty, research scholars,
professional librarians, or counselors with faculty status. Membership
categories also include Active entrant, a reduced dues membership offered to
non-tenured faculty for up to seven years; Active part-time, Graduate Student,
and Public member.
The American Association of University Professors has members at more than
2000 institutions with local chapters at 960 campuses and 33 state conferences,
which unite chapter organizations on a state wide basis.
Academic Freedom and Tenure
The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom, jointly authored by AAUP
and the Association of American Colleges, is the definitive interpretation of
academic freedom and is the model for all subsequent policies and standards.
Thousands of faculty members call the AAUP each year for advice and help
about academic freedom and tenure issues. AAUP responds to academic freedom
violations by assisting faculty members to obtain due process through mediation
and consultation. Grave violations may result in on site investigations and
censure of the administration. Investigative reports are published in the AAUP
journal ACADEME thereby informing the academic community of departures from
sound practices.
AAUP’s amicus briefs before the Supreme Court and appelate courts on issues
concerning academic freedom safeguard academic practices and advance the
court’s understanding of academic principles. AAUP’s Academic Freedom Fund
and its Legal Defense Fund provide financial support in selected cases that
raise significant academic freedom issues.
Government relations
AAUP is an authoritative voice in Washington and state capitals on higher
education issues at a time when government decisions greatly influence what
happens on campus. AAUP monitors legislation and provides expert testimony from
a faculty perspective. When mandatory retirement was abolished in 1986, AAUP was
designated by Congress as a member of the Research committee to determine the
effect of uncapping on higher education.
Faculty salary data and analysis
AAUP’s ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE PROFESSION is a
comprehensive analysis of faculty salaries and fringe benefits. Over 2100
individual institutions are listed by category, with compensation for faculty
rank and gender. AAUP members receive the report as a special issue of our
journal ACADEME.
AAUP’s Higher Education Salary Evaluation Kit provides guidance in
assessing equity in faculty compensation. It also includes comparison group
salary reports specific to different types of institutions.
Collective Bargaining
AAUP supports faculty collective bargaining at the option of local chapters as
an additional means for advancing professional standards. AAUP chapters
negotiate independently, subject to the same standards as non bargaining
campuses. Chapter contracts are designed to insure academic freedom and tenure,
advance economic and professional interests, and promote collegial governance.
Special projects
The AAUP initiates special projects concerning faculty and the academic
profession. Recent projects include
- guidelines for pension and insurance plans and participation in the
revision of TIAA-CREF policies
- retaining tenure without mandatory retirement
- the role of faculty in the assessment movement and curricular changes
- examination of academic freedom in church related institutions
Membership services and benefits
Members receive a subscription to ACADEME, the AAUP’s magazine for higher
education and journal of record. Published six times a year, ACADEME offers
news, analysis, and discussion of matters of professional concern.
New members are eligible for a special introductory subscription to the
Chronicle of Higher Education.
Membership in the AAUP allows participation in the following benefit programs
- Professional Liability Insurance
- AAUP Travel Program
- Accident Insurance
- Disability Income Protection
- Excess Major Medical Insurance
- Group Term Life Insurance
- Hospital Indemnity Insurance
- Low Cost Automobile Rental
- Gold and Silver Master Card Charge
Academic Policy and regulations
The AAUP’s policy statements and recommended institutional regulations are
acknowledged as the prevailing standards within the academic community. AAUP
guidelines are designed to insure faculty members due process and a substantive
role in academic governance. Subjects include
- Academic freedom, tenure, and due process
- Preventing discrimination
- College and University Government
- Professional Ethics
- Collective bargaining
- Research and teaching
- Leaves of absence and retirement and insurance plans
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University
of Washington chapter