On behalf of the approximately 5,500 faculty members and coaches employed at Pennsylvania’s 14 publicly owned universities, the Executive Council of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties released the following statement today:
APSCUF stands with the faculty at Mount St. Mary’s University in condemning the summary dismissal of two faculty members, one of whom was tenured, for their supposed “disloyalty.” Although the faculty members since have been reinstated, the unwarranted dismissals create a chilling effect on academic freedom and devalue the importance of tenure. For a college or university to maintain its integrity, faculty must be able to criticize and disagree with administrators without fear of retribution. Further, the nation’s university and college administrators should view the events at Mount St. Mary’s University as a cautionary tale about how the embrace of a corporate mentality breeds disrespect for students, damages an institution’s standing, and disrupts the overall academic enterprise.
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