American Association of University Professors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. Its stated mission is to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good.
Founded in 1915 by Arthur O. Lovejoy and John Dewey, the AAUP has helped to shape American higher education by developing the standards and procedures that maintain quality in education and academic freedom in the country's colleges and universities.
Among the events that led to its founding was the dismissal of economics professor and sociologist Edward A. Ross from Stanford University. Ross investigated the problems of immigrant workers, including the Chinese who worked for Southern Pacific, the railroad run by Stanford founder Leland Stanford. Leland's widow Jane Stanford intervened and, over the objections of the president and the faculty, succeeded in getting Ross dismissed. [1]
The AAUP's "Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure"[2] is the definitive articulation of these principles and practices, and is widely accepted throughout the academic community. The Association's procedures ensuring academic due process remain the model for professional employment practices on campuses throughout the country.
