The Fordham AAUP Chapter began around 1965, and is an advocacy chapter (as distinct from a collective bargaining chapter). Our Chapter's mediation of AAUP higher education policy to the Fordham community has been crucial in Fordham's history: The University Statutes adopt norms of academic freedom and tenure as defined by AAUP, and the Statutes draw from formal AAUP definitions of shared governance. After AAUP National committed to adding labor advocacy and organizing to its portfolio as a professional guild, Fordham AAUP undertook efforts to unionize the Fordham faculty in the 1970s. Despite AAUP's contributions to Fordham's policies and practices, the fortunes of the Fordham AAUP Chapter have waxed and waned over many decades. (Our history is the focus of a research project in progress). More recently, our Chapter grew greatly and played a key role during the crisis of University leadership in 2016-2017, which involved disputes over tenure-stream faculty's salary and benefits, as well as tensions over the Administration's opposition to a union for non-tenure-stream faculty, a crisis that culminated in tenure-stream faculty voting 88% "no confidence" in Fordham President Joseph McShane, and in the Administration recognizing the union after all. Fordham AAUP has seen another rejuvenation of membership and activity in recent years, with a renewed role advocating for shared governance, academic freedom, and secure academic labor amidst numerous deep challenges within Fordham and across higher education. Fordham AAUP is involved in local, state, and national issues, and sponsors a lively calendar of events for members, for all academic professionals at Fordham, and for the wider Fordham community. 

Current events are moving faster than our ability to narrate our past, but we are working on it. If you have materials/information to share about the history of Fordham AAUP, please contact Tom Beaudoin (tbeaudoin@fordham.edu)