Quick Links
• Join AAUP
• About AAUP
• Subscribe to our chapter’s monthly newsletter
• Take our Fall 2025 poll to give input on our focus for the coming year
What is AAUP and its history at SU?
An AAUP chapter is a local branch of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a professional organization dedicated to advancing academic freedom, shared governance, and the well-being of faculty and academic professionals in higher education. We are a grassroots organization that works to implement AAUP principles and policies at the campus level, advocating for faculty rights and promoting the common good of higher education. There are thousands of AAUP chapters around the country. Started in 1915, AAUP, it is a longstanding, and well-established, and accepted organization on many campuses and the SU chapter has been recently restarted (as of Spring 2025) after a period of dormancy. Chapters do a wide variety of work from advocating for specific changes on campus to the really important work of banding together nationally to fight for higher ed (for example filing lawsuits, organizing actions and pushback to Trump admin attacks). The exact work and power of the SU chapter will be entirely dependent on each and every one of us joining together and determining what we want to accomplish as a collective force on campus.
Upcoming chapter meetings and events:
Thursday October 2nd, 12:30-1:20 ADMIN 203
Friday October 3rd, 3:30-5:00 CJE/AAUP Faculty Welcome, Popko Faculty Lounge
Thursday November 13, 12:30-1:20 ADMIN 203
Thursday December 4, 12:30-1:20 ADMIN 203
Friday October 3rd, 3:30-5:00 CJE/AAUP Faculty Welcome, Popko Faculty Lounge
Thursday November 13, 12:30-1:20 ADMIN 203
Thursday December 4, 12:30-1:20 ADMIN 203
Upcoming national chapter events and professional development:
October 10, 9–3 PT
October 11, 9–3 PT
This training gives you tangible, concrete skills to immediately put into practice! The format is short instructions and information followed by breakout group exercises with our cohort of SU participants (and potentially some people from other universities in the region). Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. If interested in attending any part of the training (even if it's not the whole time), contact Sarah Cate: scate@sas.upenn.edu
October 11, 9–3 PT
This training gives you tangible, concrete skills to immediately put into practice! The format is short instructions and information followed by breakout group exercises with our cohort of SU participants (and potentially some people from other universities in the region). Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have. If interested in attending any part of the training (even if it's not the whole time), contact Sarah Cate: scate@sas.upenn.edu
Sept. 24, 4pm-5:30pm PST
AAUP national chapter resources and links:
–Major Legal Victory for AAUP halting Trump’s attack on Higher Ed
In April, the national AAUP and our Harvard chapter, alongside the United Auto Workers, filed the lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration’s attack on Harvard. Pressured by our filing, the Harvard administration subsequently filed suit and the cases were linked. You can read more about the case here.
In April, the national AAUP and our Harvard chapter, alongside the United Auto Workers, filed the lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration’s attack on Harvard. Pressured by our filing, the Harvard administration subsequently filed suit and the cases were linked. You can read more about the case here.
National Resources:
Back-to-School Toolkit: resources on organizing, academic freedom and campus free speech, mass mobilization, racial justice and equality, supporting international communities, and digital safety to help you build strong chapters, protect campus communities, and escalate the fight back against the destruction of higher education in this country.
Back-to-School Toolkit: resources on organizing, academic freedom and campus free speech, mass mobilization, racial justice and equality, supporting international communities, and digital safety to help you build strong chapters, protect campus communities, and escalate the fight back against the destruction of higher education in this country.
Advisory for Academic Workers: In a moment when it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict the consequences of our online speech and choices, the AAUP and Faculty First Responders are issuing guidance to AAUP members and other academic workers. It includes resources on what to do if you are experiencing targeted harassment, tips on digital security and engaging with social media, and resources available from the AAUP and the AFT.
Contact:
Email: sufacultyandstaff@gmail.com
Website: https://www.seattleu-aaup.com
Email: sufacultyandstaff@gmail.com
Website: https://www.seattleu-aaup.com
SU Chapter Officers:
Kate Koppelman
Sarah Cate
Alex Smith
Michael Ng
Kate Koppelman
Sarah Cate
Alex Smith
Michael Ng
The mission of the AAUP is to advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; to help the higher education community organize to make our goals a reality; and to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good.
