“Genuine intellectual diversity requires time for reflection, institutional independence, historical depth, ethical questioning, & the freedom to pursue research unconstrained by immediate market demands. These conditions cannot flourish where knowledge itself has become increasingly commodified.”

Higher Ed Can’t Be Neutral in an Age of Brutality. It Must Choose Democracy.

Contemporary proponents of “institutional neutrality” fail to grasp that universities have never been outside politics.

truthout.org

"RESOLVED, that the AFT will affirm its commitment to pre-contract unionism in higher-ed and marshal its organizing power to help non-collective bargaining members and potential members build organizing- and power-building-focused, pre-contract union locals on their campuses." @aft.org @aaup.org

Great piece—take a moment to read it. How can we combat these legislative efforts to increase our workloads (while decreasing our salaries) &, thus, decrease the quality of teaching & research? Unionize! Join here: www.aaup.org/join And get organizing! www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

Opinion | The Faculty Workload Myth

Politicians think faculty members don’t teach enough. Here’s what the data says.

chronicle.com

Sign the petition below to challenge the Trump admin’s proposed accreditation policies that threaten free speech, weaken faculty governance, restrict curricular autonomy, & undermine academic freedom. #AcademicSky

North Carolina Conference of the AAUP@ncaaup.bsky.social · last mo.

We just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Protect Academic Freedom in Higher Education. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/aa...

AAUP members came together @ the Higher Ed Summit & Biennial to approve a package of critical proposals that will serve as a sweeping strategic blueprint for our Union to build structural power & go on the offensive against the political & economic threats to higher ed in this moment. 🧵

“What happens in Texas does not stay in Texas. The policies being implemented there are increasingly being proposed and replicated elsewhere.” — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President

AAUP Investigating Academic Freedom, Shared Governance in Texas

An American Association of University Professors committee is investigating academic freedom and shared governance violations across Texas, where public university leaders have restricted what faculty...

insidehighered.com

"The massive demonstrations, student occupations, & unified faculty strikes across Argentina are an inspiration to educators & workers everywhere. Public higher education belongs to the people—not oligarchs, financiers, or authoritarian politicians." — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President #AcademicSky

AAUP Stands in Solidarity with Argentine Higher Ed Workers & Students

AAUP President Todd Wolfson has released a statement in solidarity with Argentine faculty, students, and higher ed workers protesting the austerity agenda of President Javier Milei.

aaup.org

We again would like to point to our Faculty Council Resolution from this fall in calling for BSU to adhere to its own policies and procedures when a similar issue arises in the future: bsuaaup.com/fc-resolutio...

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

This is literally what such policies are for--to guide action in fraught circumstances and provide guiding principles to strengthen your resolve in the face of outside pressure.

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

All of this could have been avoided if Ball State had abided by its own policies and statements, pointed to them when conversing with angry donors, and used that time to let cooler heads prevail.

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

To Suzanne, who shared it to a limited audience in a non-public post; B) not understand Suzanne's job; and C) be most concerned about donors and recruitment.

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

It is noteworthy that in his statement defending the settlement, Mearns seems to A) misunderstand how Facebook works and shifts responsibility for the publicity of this post from Todd Rokita, the Indiana attorney general who made it national news.

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

It seems that the lesson Mearns is hoping BSU faculty and staff will learn from this is that $225,000 plus legal fees is an acceptable price for improperly firing and violating the constitutional rights of an employee who becomes inconvenient.

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

This just a month after university-wide budget cuts were announced. This settlement money could have been used to restore nearly all of the cuts from Student Affairs for next year. Or reopened the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Or halved the budget hit taken by CCIM.

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

Ball State spends $225,000 plus lawyer's fees (President Mearns retained a Jones Day partner out of DC) for the termination of Suzanne Swierc. Mearns defends his decision to fire her and calls this "a modest monetary payment" (www.thestarpress.com/story/news/l...).

Mearns stands by decision to fire Ball State employee over Kirk remarks

A week after posting commentary on the Charlie Kirk murder, Swierc was fired from her job as Ball State's director of health promotion and advocacy.

thestarpress.com

An excellent opinion in @insidehighered.com on the importance of sociology and the social sciences, and how true intellectual diversity directly opposes authoritarian control of academic freedom www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

"Applying those principles inconsistently, the group [BSU AAUP] argued, leaves faculty, students and staff uncertain about what behavior is allowed and creates an atmosphere of fear." @aaup.org snwrks.co/3ncjau4

Ball State protest sanctions draw criticism from FIRE, AAUP

The organizations argued that the university disciplined students for protected expression and urged revisions to the policies.

snwrks.co

Lots of mentions of the @aaup.org, as well as references to our survey and chapter president, Dr. Indigo Koslicki! www.indystar.com/story/news/e...

Professors claim academic freedom is under threat. What is it?

As state and federal government leaders seek to reform higher education, it has reignited a debate about the constitutionality of these efforts.

indystar.com

@aaup.org , @aft.org and others are sponsoring a mass call on Sunday about strategies to pressure our schools to stop investing in partners that fund ICE and the DHS. Join the call this Sunday at 7 PM. Register using the link: www.mobilize.us/aft/event/89...

Schools: Drop ICE Mass Call · AFT

We will cut off ICE’s corporate enablers — starting on our campuses. ICE isn’t invincible. Donald Trump’s deportation machine doesn’t run on willpower—it runs on contracts. ICE depends on private cor...

mobilize.us

@thefireorg.bsky.social expresses concerns about the university's decision to discipline students for visiting the Admin Building in Nov, 2025. FIRE urges BSU to take multiple actions, including some that align with our chapter's Statement on Freedom of Expression from September. bit.ly/45KWq4E

FIRE Letter to Ball State University, January 29, 2026

thefire.org

Higher Ed has positive impacts on the lives of every American, from training doctors to developing tech innovations. Political interference threatens that. Do you have a Higher Ed impact story? Share it in the comments or on this survey: buff.ly/H9dC7xG @AFTHigherEd.bsky.social @AAUP.org

University workers do cutting-edge scientific research that saves lives and makes us healthier. But Trump & Congressional Republicans want to cut funding for this critical, lifesaving research. Tell Congress: Stop the cuts to research! buff.ly/MhLiaBy @aaup.org @aft.org

Support American science in federal funding

Our health and safety depend on scientific research. America is currently the world leader in cutting-edge medical and scientific research, and we want to keep it that way. Families need safe…

actionnetwork.org

Universities are enmeshed in their communities. BSU immersive learning projects connect students with Munsonians for mutually beneficial collaborations--from installing solar panels to documenting local history. Higher Ed helps communities thrive! buff.ly/jsNrCt9 @AFTHigherEd.bsky.social @AAUP.org

100%, @rweingarten.bsky.social. "When we fight for higher education, we are fighting for everyone." #HigherEdBenefitsEveryone @AAUP.org @AFTHigherEd.bsky.social spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee...

Advocates push lawmakers on Capitol Hill to protect higher education

The American Federation of Teachers and American Association of University Professors launched a campaign and lobbied on Capitol Hill Thursday.

spectrumnews1.com

Calling True Crime fans! If you find bones while digging, who investigates? The sheriff dept's million $$ crime lab? Nope. Often it's the local university's Anthropology Department. True True Crime fans know the importance of funding Higher Ed. buff.ly/unPT6NO @AFTHigherEd.bsky.social @AAUP.org

Higher Ed transforms lives. A number of BSU students, faculty & staff are first-generation college goers. They know first hand how a college education can change a life trajectory for the better. Political interference and funding cuts threaten future stories like these: buff.ly/sdr1c3h @AAUP @AFT

The Stories of #FirstGenBSU - Ball State English Department

This fall, Ball State welcomed 4,034 freshmen to our campus, surpassing the previous record of 4,006 in 1997. The record-setting population of freshmen also brought with it an influx of…

buff.ly

Higher ed workers say: Condemn the Compact! Here is CSU-AAUP, AFT Local 6745 member A. Fiona Pearson, professor of sociology at Central Connecticut State University, calling for us to unite in the face of these attacks on higher ed! @aftct.bsky.social

When politicians attack higher ed, they’re not just hurting students & faculty. It hurts: ✅Patients who rely on medical research ✅Workers who reap the benefits of innovation ✅ All of us who benefit from a strong economy www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAKJ... @AAUP @AFT

On this Day of Action for Higher Ed, we applaud IU Bloomington's faculty council for urging IU to reject Trump's compact. Political interference from D.C. will negatively impact what Hoosiers are allowed to teach and learn and which Hoosiers can go to college. buff.ly/rdeBJwW. @aaup.org @aft.org

Bloomington Faculty Council urges IU to reject Trump’s higher education compact

The resolution passed with overwhelming support.

idsnews.com

Higher education is a public good, not a political football. It's time to make our voices heard and demand our elected officials protect this vital institution. Add your voice to ours! Tell Congress to invest in our future. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAKJ... @AFTHigherEd.bsky.social @AAUP.org