National professors' organization encourages leading research group to deny UNL readmission

The American Association of University Professors is requesting that the Association of American Universities deny readmission for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after the closure of four departments.

Last December, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the closure of four departments on campus: earth and atmospheric sciences; textiles, merchandising and fashion design; educational administration; and statistics. In reaction to this, the AAUP, which is a national organization for university professors, is requesting the campus not be let back into a group of leading research universities, called the AAU.

Todd Wolfson, president of the AAUP, wrote in a letter to the AAU that the department eliminations were a departure from several frameworks the two organizations have operated under for years. He urged the organization to reject any attempts at readmission until UNL “demonstrates a clear and credible commitment to restoring shared governance, protecting tenure, and aligning its practices with the principles that define leading research universities.”

“This is not simply a matter concerning one institution,” Wolfson said in the letter. “It speaks directly to the conditions under which research universities can sustain excellence and public trust.”

UNL was part of the AAU from 1909 until 2011, when it was dropped. Since then, university leaders have been vying to get back into the AAU with a focus on research. In recent endeavors, the university approved the joint accreditation of Lincoln and medical center campuses to strengthen NU’s research recognition.

UNL said in a statement that it was "disappointed by the American Association of University Professors’ decision to issue a letter that, in our view, fails to acknowledge substantial evidence and important context documented in shared governance minutes, official university records and other publicly available information."

"The AAUP has historically provided an important voice for university faculty, which makes its decision to present a partial account of these complex circumstances particularly discouraging," the statement said. "These difficult but necessary decisions have been made through established university processes in response to enrollment, program demand, financial sustainability and the university’s long-term academic mission. UNL respects the AAUP’s role and welcomes constructive, fact-based dialogue about these issues, while remaining focused on strengthening our academic programs, supporting our university community and serving the people of Nebraska.”