New Endorsers of the 1940 Statement

For decades, the AAUP has encouraged scholarly societies and higher education organizations to endorse the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. This document, which was jointly formulated with the American Association of Colleges and Universities, is the most fundamental and widely recognized presentation of the AAUP’s core principles and standards, and its influence on US higher education has been pervasive. A 2020 AAUP survey found that nearly three-quarters of colleges and universities with a tenure system incorporate language from the 1940 Statement in their own academic freedom policies, a prevalence surely owing in part to the number of societies and organizations that have joined the Association in endorsing and advocating for the Statement’s principles.

As the AAUP prepares to publish the twelfth edition of Policy Documents and Reports (better known as the Redbook) in April 2025, we are pleased to report that forty-eight organizations have added their names to the list of endorsers since the publication of the eleventh edition in 2015. Thirty-nine of these new endorsements have come in just the past year, thanks to the tireless efforts of retired staff member Robert Kreiser. The total number of endorsers now stands at 282.

If your organization is interested in endorsing the Statement, please contact the AAUP at [email protected]. Although it is too late for inclusion in the next edition of the Redbook, we maintain a regularly updated, alphabetized list of endorsers at https://www.aaup.org/endorsers-1940-statement.