American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is a left-of-center association of college professors that advocates in favor of economic and educational policies that align with pro-labor stances such as collectively bargaining on behalf of college instructors. The group was formed in 1915 and is known for its advocacy for tenure protections for professors. It also lobbies on issues including opposing legislation limiting the instruction of critical race theory-inspired curricula, taxpayer-funded college paid for with a tax on financial institutions, and student loan forgiveness. The group created a joint campaign with the American Federation of Teachers called A New Deal for Higher Education that supports many of the left-of-center policy proposals included in the Biden administration’s Build Back Better proposals. ^{1 2}

In 2022, AAUP announced it had reached an agreement to formally affiliate with the AFT and through the AFT the AFL-CIO, in a deal under which all the union bargaining for both organizations would be conducted by the AFT while AAUP would maintain separate non-union lobbying efforts. ³

Background

American Association of University Professors (AAUP) was founded in January 1915, and the union’s first organization meeting was held at the Chemists’ Club in New York City. The union was founded by Johns Hopkins University philosopher Arthur O. Lovejoy and Columbia University economist E.R.A. Seligman. Seligman had previously led a committee on academic freedom that led to the group’s establishment. The AAUP’s first notable act was forming its 1915 “Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure.” ^{2 4}

AAUP advocated on behalf of university professors who it felt were wrongfully dismissed, including opposing professor firings at the University of Utah shortly after the organization’s founding in 1915. The union retreated from some of its pro-academic freedom stances during World War I and during the height of the McCarthy investigations. ^{2 4}

In 2013, the union founded the AAUP Foundation, a separate grant making institution that funds projects that it claims promote academic freedom and the union’s policy priorities. Also in 2013, the union founded the AAUP Collective Bargaining Congress, a separate arm organized as a labor union that conducted union negotiations that was folded back into the AAUP in 2020. ^{2 4}

Policy Stances and Activities

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) lobbies for many left-of-center public policy priorities including taxpayer-funded college, student loan forgiveness, and many state-level issues affecting school funding and curricula. ¹

AAUP’s 2022 legislative agenda includes support for doubling federal Pell Grants, increased Title IV funding for minority institutions, more federal research funding, and a bill to provide free college tuition to all U.S. students via a tax on financial institutions. The AAUP also supports allowing adjunct faculty to participate in the federal public service loan forgiveness program regardless of how many hours they work and has endorsed the PRO Act, a union-backed bill that includes dozens of left-of-center policy priorities. ¹

The union has also endorsed full-scale student loan cancellation and opposes efforts to limit critical race theory-inspired public school curricula. ¹

The union also partnered with the American Federation of Teachers to launch a campaign called A New Deal for Higher Education that called for enactment of many left-of-center proposals of the Biden administration, including the Build Back Better Act. ⁵

In May 2024, the AAUP’s Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom released a white paper report titled “Manufacturing Backlash: Right-Wing Think Tanks and Legislative Attacks on Higher Education, 2021–2023.” The report claimed that during legislative sessions between 2021 and 2023, several right-wing donor groups were responsible for funding efforts to pass “academic gag orders” on the teaching of left-wing concepts in schools including critical race theory (CRT), diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); and “viewpoint diversity.” ⁶ According to Phil Magnees of the Independent Institue, the report was written with the help of several left-wing activists including Ralph Wilson of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Nancy MacLean. ⁷

On May 4 2025, it was reported on X/Twitter that the AAUP held a virtual “AAUP All-Member Meeting” on May 1, in which they discussed increasing activities such as “disruption, summer direct-action trainings, and broader coalition-building.” ⁸ Attendees of the meeting allegedly claimed, “We have to escalate our tactics… Arguments alone will not win. We have to meet force with force…[w]e need to make the actions more disruptive—so it’s not business as usual.” ⁸ The X post further alleged that prior to the meeting, a letter from the AAUP’s local chapter at the University of Virginia, written by chapter president Ashon Crawley, had been released which accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, claimed the university education system was “white supremacy,” and that “intellectual diversity” was a right-wing conspiracy. ⁸

In 2025, the American Association of University Professors joined the Middle East Studies Association in filing a landmark lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that federal officials had engaged in “ideological deportation” by targeting noncitizen pro-Palestinian advocates for removal from the United States. The case, heard in federal court in Massachusetts, resulted in a sweeping opinion by Judge William G. Young, who ruled that the administration’s actions violated the First Amendment and were designed to suppress pro-Palestine speech on university campuses. The ruling was described as one of the most significant free speech decisions in recent years, affirming the AAUP’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and political expression in higher education. ⁹

AFT Merger

In 2022, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced an affiliation agreement that amounted to a merger between the organizations. While AAUP will retain its name, its union organizing activities will be conducted under the AFT umbrella and all AAUP chapters and affiliates will become affiliates of the AFT and the AFL-CIO. The AFT also announced plans to assist the AAUP in its lobbying efforts. ³

Funding

Between 2020 and 2023, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) allegedly received at nearly $6 million in donations and funding from several public universities and schools including Rutgers University, Kent State University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Eastern Michigan University and Portland State University. The largest donations included Portland State University in 2021 ($926,474) and 2023 ($904,257), Kent State University in 2020 ($602,179) and 2023 ($578,637), and Eastern Michigan University in 2020 ($454,462). ¹⁰

Finances

According to its 2023 990 form, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) reported a revenue of $10,614,591, expenses of $11,707,342, and total assets of $17,336,308. ¹¹

Controversies

Through 2024 and 2025, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) faced criticism from Jewish organizations and some faculty members over its positions on Israel. In August 2024, under president Todd Wolfson, the association dropped its longstanding opposition to academic boycotts, a move that was followed by faculty on several campuses informally declining to assign Israeli scholarship, invite Israeli academics, or support study abroad in Israel. In April 2024, AAUP co-sponsored a National Day of Action with groups including Jewish Voice for Peace and Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine. In January 2025, Wolfson stated in an interview that the United States should not provide weapons to Israel. The Anti-Defamation League and the Academic Engagement Network issued a joint statement calling his comments troubling and arguing that AAUP leadership was aligning the organization with one political stance in a way that risked undermining academic freedom. Some faculty, including former chapter leaders, suspended dues or publicly criticized the association, citing concerns that it had become increasingly politicized and less representative of Jewish and Zionist members. ¹²

1. “2022 Legislative Agenda.” American Association of University Professors. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.aaup.org/our-programs/government-relations/2022-legislative-agenda
2. “History.” American Association of University Professors. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.aaup.org/about/history-aaup
3. Flaherty, Colleen. “‘A Voice That Needs to Be Heard.’” Inside Higher Ed. March 8 2022. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/03/08/aft-aaup-announce-new-affiliation-boost-faculty-voice
4. “Timeline.” American Association of University Professors. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.aaup.org/about/history/timeline-first-100-years
5. “Home.” New Deal for Higher Ed. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://newdealforhighered.org/
6. Kamola, Issac. “Manufacturing Backlash: Right-Wing Think Tanks and Legislative Attacks on Higher Education, 2021–2023.” American Association of University Professors, Accessed June 5, 2024. https://www.aaup.org/article/manufacturing-backlash
7. Phil Magnees (@PhilWMagnees). “This “report” was written with the assistance of professional conspiracy theorist Nancy MacLean and an assortment of far-left oddballs like Ralph Wilson, a Maoist “activist” with ties to the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.” May 30, 2024. https://x.com/PhilWMagness/status/1796209629317222609
8. Stu (@thestustustudio). “I attended the AAUP All-Member Meeting on May Day to get a clearer sense of the national agenda. What I saw was a coordinated push to escalate on multiple fronts—through disruption, summer direct-action trainings, and broader coalition-building.” X, May 4, 2025. https://x.com/thestustustudio/status/1919034979037720789?s=46&t=jI5pta-LqWTQoagVEw7hsA
9. Musgrave, Shawn. “Judge Finds Rubio and Noem Intentionally Targeted Pro-Palestine Activists to Chill Speech.” The Intercept, October 6, 2025. https://theintercept.com/2025/09/30/rubio-noem-deport-aaup-ruling-free-speech/.
10. Openthebooks. “PROFESSORS POOL PUBLIC DOLLARS TO ROOT OUT DOGE, TRUMP SYMPATHIZERS.” Open The Books, April 16, 2025. https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/professors-pool-public-dollars-to
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Association of University Professors. 2023. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/800320904/202413149349300806/full
12. Cohen, Haley. “Leading Jewish Groups SLAM AAUP for ‘moving Away from Its Mission’ with Anti-Israel Stance.” Jewish Insider, August 21, 2025. https://jewishinsider.com/2025/08/adl-aen-aaup-president-todd-wolfson-academic-freedom-israel-boycott/.