Auburn Professors Decry Dissolution of Faculty Senate, Says Curriculum Should Not Be Crafted by Board of Trustees

Auburn University

Auburn University professors are denouncing the Board of Trustees' decision to dissolve the university's long-standing faculty senate and consolidate curricular authority under a newly created advisory council that reports directly to top administrators.

At its Jun. 5 meeting, the Auburn University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to dissolve all existing university senate, university faculty, and faculty governance bodies, including faculty officers.

In place of those elected structures, the board approved the Presidential Academic Advisory Council, or PAAC, which will serve as the primary body for faculty consultation with the president, provost, and senior academic leadership, according to AL News.

The move closely tracks provisions of Alabama's HB 580, a statewide higher education bill that limits faculty senates to advisory roles and consolidates power in governing boards, even though that law does not formally apply to Auburn and does not take effect until October.

Faculty leaders say the board's action is an "attack on our voices" and a direct blow to shared governance at Auburn. Professors argue that dissolving an elected senate and replacing it with an appointed advisory council strips faculty of meaningful representation in decisions about curriculum, academic policy, and standards.

They warn that the change will allow trustees and senior administrators to craft or reshape academic programs with minimal input from those who teach and develop courses, University World News reported.

Under Auburn's prior system, the University Senate was charged with giving those "involved in the day-to-day life of the University" a structured role in formulating policies affecting the faculty and the academic life of the institution.

The Senate participated in reviewing degree requirements, vetting new programs, and advising on core curriculum changes. Faculty say eliminating that body, while expanding board influence, upends a long-established balance in which boards focused on budgets and overall direction while faculty controlled academic content.

The new PAAC is presented by the board as a way to "strengthen" consultation by creating a direct channel for faculty perspectives to senior leaders, but its members will be selected within a framework set by the administration rather than elected across the faculty at large.

Professors contend that this model gives trustees and top officials far greater leverage over who speaks for faculty, and on what terms, especially on curriculum.

They are calling for the board to restore an elected senate structure and to reaffirm that curriculum should be designed and overseen primarily by faculty, not the Board of Trustees or its appointees, as per Insider Highered.