Statement by University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett on the AAUP Report

“Beyond the fact that the AAUP report is deeply flawed, it is apparent that its assessment is structured around AAUP’s principles and not the existing rules and policies under which our universities are required to operate.  The universities in our system are governed by Louisiana’s constitution and laws as well as rules and policies developed by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System.  While many of our Board rules and policies related to faculty are based on AAUP’s principles of academic freedom and tenure established in 1940, our rules have evolved over time with appropriate constituent input and approval.

“The bottom line is that our universities must adapt to changes in Louisiana’s needs, market demand for our programs, and budgetary constraints.  In doing so, all of our institutions have abided by the rules and regulations approved by the Board of Supervisors, which they are required to follow.  All campus personnel and program discontinuance actions were carefully vetted with the UL System Board, staff, and legal counsel.  At the campus level, there were documented instances of faculty involvement, open communication, and transparency. Considerable time was spent, including public comment, at our Board meetings to consider these actions.  Most importantly, all of these actions were intended to ensure the future of our institutions.”

All correspondence between the UL System and AAUP can be found on our website at www.ulsystem.edu/AAUP. A marked up version of the final AAUP report will be posted on April 12, 2012, in accordance with AAUP’s embargo.

-ULS-

ABOUT THE UL SYSTEM: The University of Louisiana System is the largest higher education system in Louisiana enrolling about 94,000 students at Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and the University of New Orleans.