The histories of Wesleyan and the national AAUP are intertwined. The dismissal of a Wesleyan economics professor was a galvanizing event for the founding of the AAUP in 1915, and Wesleyan faculty established the first AAUP chapter in 1921. Wesleyan president James McConaughy, then-president of the American Association of Colleges, worked closely with the AAUP to shape the authoritative “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.”

The last active chapter on campus became dormant in the late 1990s. In Fall 2021, the national organization recognized the efforts of faculty to re-establish an advocacy chapter on campus. The re-established chapter was formally chartered in June 2022.

Read more about Wesleyan’s history of faculty organizing, 1913-2022, in our draft paper, “The AAUP and Faculty Organizing at Wesleyan: Historical Lessons.”