Strong Hall on the University of Kansas campus is shown on Sept. 13, 2018.
Hundreds of University of Kansas faculty and staff members are objecting to a new Kansas Board of Regents policy that they say circumvents professional standards and violates the university’s commitments as a member of the American Association of Universities.
On Jan. 20, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a two-year policy that gives university CEOs more power to suspend, dismiss or terminate employees including tenured faculty members in light of the financial crisis many universities face.
A statement signed by more than 550 KU faculty and staff members states that the policy violates two of the three core principles of the Association of American Universities: shared governance and academic freedom. It also bypasses established processes KU already had in place in the instance of declared financial exigency.
photo by: Associated Press
A bus makes its way along Jayhawk Boulevard in front of Strong Hall on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
A recent decision from University of Kansas leadership to reorganize the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has prompted backlash from faculty and staff who say the changes were made without consultation from the marginalized communities who will be affected.
About 60 department chairs, numerous faculty staff councils and the graduate teaching assistants union, among other groups, signed letters to Chancellor Douglas Girod and Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer last week, asking them to reverse or reconsider the decisions.