The Chronicle: New Orleans College Presidents Decline to Meet With AAUP Investigators Over Layoffs
A special American Association of University Professors committee investigating layoffs, program cuts, and other moves by universities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is getting the cold shoulder from New Orleans institutions.
The presidents of Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans have declined to meet with committee members, at least for the time being. And the president of Louisiana State University System — which oversees both the LSU Health Sciences Center and the University of New Orleans — has proposed a number of changes to the meeting format, such as making the meeting public. Committee members will be in New Orleans from August 28 to 30.
The committee’s goal is to examine whether the universities followed their own policies and procedures, as well as AAUP guidelines, in laying off tenured faculty members and cutting academic programs in cases of financial exigency. Committee members are also looking at whether faculty members had enough say in the changes and at whether some academic policies and procedures can be ignored in extreme circumstances. The committee plans to release a report on the issues this fall.
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