News Blog

Read the Full Report

Today, the Whitman College Chapter of the AAUP released its end-of-the-year report. Please read the full report here.

In an email to the faculty, the officers of the Whitman AAUP chapter highlighted recent instances in which shared governance worked — moments when sustained faculty advocacy helped produce concrete institutional change. At a time when many faculty are deeply concerned about the direction of the college, and as we continue conversations about morale, it is important to remember that shared governance is not merely symbolic. The AAUP’s role is to defend and strengthen the conditions under which faculty voices can be heard and taken seriously. When shared governance works well, it benefits the entire college community: faculty, staff, students, and administrators alike. Among the recent changes that faculty advocacy has helped shape are:

• a return to the option for more frequent sabbaticals;

• the creation of a system for anonymous faculty questions at faculty Q&A sessions;

• a new annual reception celebrating faculty scholarship;

• a revised summer advising system that better respects faculty summers, both in substance and in process;

• public defense of institutional autonomy in the face of federal interference;

• ongoing work with faculty to add academic voices to the Board of Trustees;

• ongoing work with faculty to implement a system of faculty review of the president and provost;

• a stated willingness to run deficits for several years in response to faculty concerns about protecting the academic mission of the College.

We acknowledge the administrators and elected faculty leaders who have worked constructively to respond to faculty concerns in these areas. 

These examples do not signal that all is well. But they can serve to galvanize us, and to remind us of processes that have worked to produce change. These changes matter because of their individual substance and because they demonstrate the larger point that shared governance can make a difference. When faculty speak collectively and participate in deliberative decision-making, the college is stronger for it.

(Based closely on the May 5, 2026, email to the faculty by Professor Xiaobo Yuan, PhD, Vice President, on behalf of the 2025-2025 officers of the Whitman College Chapter of the AAUP.)

Read the Full Statement

Today, the Whitman College chapter of the AAUP released a new statement on shared governance that offers historical contexts, institutional grounding, and clarification about the faculty's role in college governance. Drawing on the AAUP's longstanding principles, the college's own Constitution and Faculty Code, and relevant U.S. labor law, the statement argues that shared governance requires that the Board of Trustees seek more than symbolic consultation with the faculty. The statement reaffirms that faculty authority in core academic matters, and in other areas that shape the educational mission of the college, must be genuine and meaningful. Read the full statement here.

View the Report

The Whitman College Chapter of the AAUP is pleased to share Know Your Governing Board: Whitman College, a report prepared by chapter members under the auspices of the Coalition for Action in Higher Education. The report examines the composition, selection, powers, and practices of Whitman's Board of Trustees and invites continued campus discussion about governance, transparency, academic freedom, and the College's educational mission. Read the report here.

At yesterday’s faculty meeting, President Bolton announced that an academic will be joining Whitman College’s Board of Trustees, with the formal Board vote scheduled for May, 2026. This development is encouraging news for both the AAUP chapter and the college. It reflects the collective efforts of our AAUP chapter, together with President Bolton’s willingness to work collaboratively within the framework of shared governance.

The new Board member will be announced in May. President Bolton also informed the faculty that the individual was recruited from the list of possible nominees our chapter put forward in April, 2025. This marks an important step forward in a process that many faculty members helped advance. We are especially grateful to Professor Susanne Beechey for her work in bringing this matter to the Board last year on a short time frame.

This announcement is also significant in light of the faculty motion calling for a custom and practice in which several members of the Board are academic faculty. In that context, it was especially heartening to hear President Bolton describe the addition of the first academic trustee as a floor rather than a ceiling.

Taken together, these developments represent a meaningful gain for shared governance at Whitman College and a positive sign for continued faculty participation in the life of the institution.

Download the Poster

The Whitman AAUP chapter invites the community to Whitman's Board of Trustees: Who Are They, and What Do They Do?, a presentation and discussion about the nature and role of the board. Colleagues are encouraged to invite staff and students. The event will take place on Friday, April 17, 2026, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Kimball Theatre, Hunter Conservatory. It is free and open to all members of the college community. We hope that you will join us!

View the Full Statement

On March 5, 2026, the Whitman College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors called on the Whitman College Board of Trustees to voluntarily recognize Whitman College Workers United and to begin good-faith collective bargaining without delay. Voluntary recognition would respect the already clearly expressed choice of workers, avoid coercive anti-union campaigning, and help establish a more constructive and equitable foundation for future labor relations at the college. The statements frames voluntary recognition as a matter of sound governance and urges the Board to capitalize on this opportunity to strengthen morale, affirm shared values, and support the college's long-term health. 

The Whitman College chapter of the AAUP received some media coverage for its work on supporting the labor rights of Whitman's staff. See the articles at the Whitman Wire and Elkhorn Media Group.

View the Full Statement

The Whitman College chapter of the AAUP affirms its strong support for the right of staff to organize for collective bargaining, following the staff’s public announcement earlier today of their intention to form a labor union. In a public statement circulated to faculty, staff, the administration, and local media, the chapter reiterates that decisions about unionization belong to workers themselves and must be made free from fear of retaliation. Drawing on the history and purpose of U.S. labor law, the chapter's officers emphasize that the protection of the right to association is integral to Whitman College’s mission of open inquiry, intellectual exchange, and institutional integrity. 

On October 3, 2025, the chapter held a special election for two of the chapter officer positions. Acting Vice President Yuan was elected to continue as vice president, and Acting Secretary/Tresurer Blagov was elected to continue as secretary/treasurer. After the special election, the chapter members discussed a full slate of agenda for the new academic year.

Read the Motion

On September 24, the Faculty of Whitman College voted unanimously to amend the Faculty Code to strengthen protections for academic freedom and professional recognition of library and gallery staff. The amendment formally adopts the AAUP–ACRL Joint Statement on Faculty Status of College and University Librarians as well as the AAUP’s Statement of Academic Freedom and Artistic Expression. By doing so, the Faculty affirms that librarians and curatorial staff are integral to the academic mission, serving as trustees of knowledge and guarantors of intellectual and artistic freedom. The amendment clarifies that all library and curatorial staff are included in the category of “individuals employed by the college in a teaching role” for the purposes of academic freedom protections. This step brings Whitman’s Faculty Code into alignment with established professional norms and underscores the central role of these colleagues in ensuring that teaching, learning, and creative expression flourish on campus.

Thanks to everyone who joined us earlier today at the WCAAUP welcome back happy hour in downtown Walla Walla! We reconnected with colleagues, met new friends, and shared ideas about the challenges and opportunities facing higher ed. Together we began charting priorities for the year ahead, from strengthening faculty wages and professional life to advancing shared governance and academic freedom. We look forward to continuing the conversation with all of you as we move forward. 

View the full statement in PDF

The AAUP chapter issued a statement on budget deficits that urges Whitman College to address financial challenges without undermining its core academic mission. The chapter emphasizes reinvesting in faculty by restoring research support, fair wages, and a strong sabbatical program to preserve Whitman’s reputation for excellence. It calls for salary reductions among the highest-paid administrators before any staff or faculty layoffs and advocates for prudent use of endowment funds during this period of crisis, citing Larry Summers’ reminder that endowments exist to sustain institutions in emergencies. Finally, the statement stresses that shared governance must guide both immediate and long-term decisions, ensuring faculty participation in shaping Whitman’s future.

View the full report in PDF

The chapter officers are grateful to all chapter members and allies for their participation in a highly productive year for the chapter. Here are the highlights

Highlights:

• Membership grew from 24 to 41 dues-paying faculty (≈ 25% of faculty). Over 90 faculty now participate in the listserv.

• Collected and shared proposals to strengthen faculty scholarship in strategic planning.

• Endorsed new Academic Freedom Policy, aligned with AAUP standards.

• Public statement supporting divestment from companies profiting from military conflicts. Advocated for shared governance in divestment decisions.

• Engaged new tenure-track faculty, gathered concerns, and sent advocacy letter. Focused on campus housing cost transparency and affordability.

• Wrote letter on Memorial Building “vandalism” response, opposing routine police presence. Stated police should be called only in extreme emergencies.

• Organized second “Law & the Academy” seminar with student involvement. Seminar topics: civil liberties/student rights, civil disobedience, student unionization.

• Supported faculty motion to add academics to the Board of Trustees. Helped generate list of potential trustee nominees.

• Participated in National Day of Action for Higher Education.

• Met with leadership to address listserv moderation and censorship concerns. Helped clarify appeal procedures and secured promise of policy review.

• Investigated RWPD 170 changes, issued report with recommendations. Recommendations: reaffirm shared governance, clarify NTT renewal, strengthen tenure.

• Advanced motion for coordinated campaign defending academic freedom, due process, and law. Motion passed unanimously.

• Celebrated first faculty-wide presidential review, initiated by WCAAUP.

View the full report in PDF

The chapter has released a report addressing concerns raised by recent changes to the RWPD 170 program and their implications for shared governance, contract renewal, and tenure. The chapter emphasizes that the expansion of RWPD 170 beyond its originally faculty-approved scope illustrates a breakdown of shared governance and underscores the need for transparent faculty deliberation in curricular matters. It further recommends that Whitman adopt AAUP standards on timely notice of non-renewal for non-tenure-track faculty, ensuring greater fairness and stability. Finally, the chapter calls for a renewed commitment to the tenure system, noting the high proportion of instruction currently delivered by non-tenure-track faculty. These discussions highlight the importance of safeguarding shared governance, strengthening protections for contingent faculty, and recommitting to tenure as the cornerstone of academic freedom and institutional integrity.

On December 1, 2024, the AAUP chapter wrote to the faculty to announce its endorsement of the newly proposed academic-freedom policy. Developed by the Academic Freedom and Due Process Committee and recently approved by the Board of Trustees, this policy affirms the four central pillars of academic freedom: freedom in classroom discussion, freedom in scholarship and publication, freedom from institutional censorship in governance participation, and freedom when speaking or writing as citizens. Grounded in AAUP standards, the policy affirms the essential role of academic freedom in fostering intellectual inquiry and dialogue within the academic community. The chapter encourages the faculty to support and uphold this vital reaffirmation of academic principles, and to vote in support of it at the upcoming faculty meeting.

On November 11, 2024, the officers of the AAUP chapter sent a letter to the college president's cabinet, expressing concern regarding its response to an incident of alleged vandalism at the Memorial Building on November 6. Specifically, the decision to involve the Walla Walla Police Department has raised questions about the proportionality of the response and its broader implications. The letter emphasizes the heightened risks faced by members of marginalized groups in interactions with law enforcement and calls for the exercise of prudence in such situations. It urges the cabinet to consider non-police avenues for addressing this issue, highlighting the college's goal of inclusivity.

The AAUP chapter submitted a set of proposals to the administration (the offices of the president and the provost), advocating for enhanced support for faculty research and scholarship. The document outlines strategies to strengthen morale and bolster the college's academic reputation by restoring and expanding such resources as course releases for book contracts, flexible sabbatical policies, and increased funding for faculty-student research collaborations, among others. These measures aim to reaffirm and reinforce the teacher-scholar model that underlies the college's mission while promoting innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in pedagogy. The AAUP chapter welcomes further dialogue with the administration to advance these initiatives.