UNI Responds To Official Investigation by American Association of University Professors

The hopes to work with a professional organization after announcements of planned academic program closures and faculty reduction.

"UNI is committed to continuing and enhancing its policies and procedures to promote shared governance," UNI president Ben Allen wrote in a letter to the American Association of University Professors. "We hope that this letter responds to the AAUP's concerns and that, when the Association reviews the information summarized above, further investigation is deemed unnecessary."

The letter, sent March 20, was released today by UNI.

The AAUP investigation could lead to UNI's censure. Censure is essentially a red flag within the profession that the school does not meet standards of academic freedom and tenure.

Among the greatest concerns at UNI are plans for , which were approved this month as a companion to . According to the letter from AAUP director and associate secretary Gregory Scholtz to Allen, the AAUP is most troubled by plans to buyout 29 tenured professors.

The response from Allen says UNI followed and even went beyond what was required by faculty contracts in implementing staff reductions.

The letter also addresses concerns about lack of faculty input on the process.

"The provost and I were legitimately concerned that discussions with the Faculty Senate about program closure would be viewed by the union as a breach of our contract obligations... Significant changes were made to the preliminary listing of proposed closures and program restructurings based on the input of the Faculty Senate," Allen wrote.