AAUP Plans to Investigate U. of Louisiana System Over Layoffs

The American Association of University Professors has announced plans to formally investigate the University of Louisiana system over the potential termination of tenured faculty members. In a letter sent to the system’s president, Randy Moffett, the association gave the system credit for avoiding such layoffs on several campuses as it discontinues academic programs. But, the AAUP’s letter said, it remained concerned about the planned dismissal of tenured faculty members at Northwestern State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. In response, Mr. Moffett told the association in a letter that its concerns appear to be “based on misinformed assumptions” about the university system’s policies and practices. His letter said, “You cannot simply ignore the fiscal reality of having to cope with the serious budgetary constraints that UL System institutions face and the educational reality of having to maximize the use of scarce resources to best meet our students’ academic needs.” It called the faculty terminations that have taken place there “unfortunate,” but said “we are relieved that we have not had to engage in even more drastic reductions.”