Faculty Disciple

During Fall 2025, UCIFI members submitted two formal letters to the UC Regents addressing proposed revisions to the Academic Personnel Manual (APM-015 and APM-016) and broader concerns regarding faculty discipline.

Statement on APM Revisions and Expressive Conduct

In our November 26 letter to the Regents, a group of UCIFI members raised concerns about revisions to APM-015 and APM-016, as well as the interim systemwide disciplinary guidelines for expressive conduct. The letter emphasized that disciplinary reform must not blur longstanding protections for academic freedom or expand administrative discretion in ways that risk chilling faculty speech.

Key concerns included:

• Clarifying that academic freedom is a threshold protection, not merely a mitigating factor in sanction decisions.
• Ensuring that extramural speech remains protected except in narrow, well-defined circumstances.
• Requiring meaningful Senate oversight and transparency when administrators override faculty disciplinary recommendations.
• Preventing the expansion of discipline through parallel administrative systems lacking Academic Senate review.

Statement on Faculty Discipline and Due Process

In a companion letter dated November 26, we addressed systemic concerns regarding the administration of faculty discipline across UC campuses. While recognizing the Regents’ authority and responsibility to ensure professional standards, we emphasized the importance of procedural fairness, due process, and shared governance.

Our recommendations focused on three core areas:

• Reducing the harm of frivolous complaints.
• Guaranteeing due process protections.
• Protecting shared governance in disciplinary decisions.