Inside Higher Ed
by Colleen Flaherty
December 3, 2021
The American Association of University Professors has condemned South Carolina legislators’ attempt to end tenure for public college and university professors via House Bill 4522, the Cancelling Professor Tenure Act, the AAUP said this week. The controversial bill seeks to prohibit tenure for all employees hired in 2023 or later and require minimum teaching loads.
The AAUP said in a statement that at “reputable institutions of higher education, academic freedom is protected because tenured professors can be dismissed only for reasons related to professional fitness and only after a hearing before a faculty body at which the administration must make its case that the faculty member’s conduct or performance warrants dismissal. Public universities perform a vital service to society and must be insulated from partisan political agendas and the whims of wealthy donors.”
The statement continues, “At a time when educational institutions across the nation are debating banning books and limiting what history should be taught, we call upon the South Carolina legislature to reject HB 4522, which at its core does not serve the public’s interest and would fundamentally harm faculty’s ability to perform their jobs.”