Political Interference Affecting Academics’ Morale in US Southern States: Survey
TL/DR –
A survey of faculty members in the US south indicates that political interference is causing many to consider relocating or leaving academia. It shows that almost 60% of respondents would not recommend their state as a desirable place to work, and nearly half stated that politics and policy changes had decreased job applications to their institutions. Reasons for their dissatisfaction include diminished academic freedom, lack of shared governance, state restrictions or bans on abortion, erosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, threats to tenure, and doxxing.
Politics and Policy Changes Impacting Faculty Morale in U.S. Southern States
A significant majority of faculty members in US southern states are experiencing political interference that affects morale and is causing many of them to consider positions elsewhere, or leave academia altogether, according to a recent survey.
The study, conducted in August 2024, was mainly distributed by the southern regional chapters of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). Political interference and policy changes were cited as reasons reducing the number of job applicants to institutions in their state.
“This issue worries faculty members and is becoming a bigger problem for state institutions,” says Amy Reid, former lead of New College of Florida’s gender-studies programme. She is now working with the non-profit organization PEN America, managing its Freedom to Learn programme. Reid left New College after its board members voted to abolish the university’s 30-year-old gender-studies programme.
A report by the American Federation of Teachers and the AAUP states that former U.S. president and current president-elect Donald Trump initiated political attacks on university campuses when he criticized “divisive concepts” like diversity, equity, and inclusion in an executive order issued in 2020. This backing has intensified a conservative wave of state-level politics in numerous southern states, leading to laws targeting tenure and the teaching of controversial topics such as critical race theory.
The AAUP survey revealed around 30% of faculty members in southeastern states are looking for jobs outside the region. Reasons include state restrictions on abortion, threats to tenure, harassment or doxxing, and eroded support for policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Threats to Morale
These issues affect faculty members regardless of their career plans. For instance, in Georgia, tenure protection was significantly reduced in 2021, making it easier to fire tenured faculty members, according to the AAUP.
Joseph Fu, a mathematician at the University of Georgia, reports declining morale among faculty members due to a feeling of disrespect and lack of protection. This sentiment aligns with the survey finding that 55% of respondents felt their institution’s administration was not defending tenure or academic freedom.
At the University of Kentucky, the administration staff changed the faculty senate from a decision-making body to an advisory one, fostering mistrust among faculty members. “If your voice is only advisory, it can be easily dismissed. If you don’t have decision-making power, then your voice is not effective,” says Hollie Swanson, a pharmacologist at the university.
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