"Academic Freedom for a Free Society"
For ninety-two years, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has been the only national organization solely devoted to representing the interests of higher educational faculties. Through this pursuit, the AAUP crafted the 1940 Statement on the Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure. This document, coauthored with the American Association of Colleges and Universities and endorsed by more than 150 additional organizations, solidified the basis for academic freedom and tenure within the higher education community. Those two principles have created a higher educational system second to none. Paramount in this system is the open examination and dissemination of knowledge inside the classroom. Academic Freedom has bred an educational and research environment based on critical evaluation, but separate from political and religious beliefs. In support of these goals and accomplishments, an excess of 45,000 AAUP members hail from all 50 states.
The Michigan Conference of the AAUP champions the tenets of Academic Freedom, Tenure and Shared Governance within the state of Michigan. The Conference gathers and distributes information among its 17 chapters as well as representing their interests before the state government. With over 4,500 members at 30 college and universities across the state, the Michigan Conference is a powerful voice protecting the rights of faculty and ensuring the contribution of higher education to the common good
The mission of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good. Founded in 1915, the AAUP has helped to shape American higher education by developing the standards and procedures that maintain quality in education and academic freedom in this country's colleges and universities.
The mission of the Michigan Conference of the AAUP is to champion academic freedom and shared governance, to advance the quality of higher education and to provide a unified voice for the professoriate across the state of Michigan.