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VIA: AOL Black Voices

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has written a scathing report about Clark Atlanta University’s decision to fire nearly one-fourth of its full-time faculty members one year ago. The controversy started when the school suddenly terminated 55 of its faculty members, allegedly without giving much notice.

According to the report by the AAUP, the administration selected particular faculty members for dismissal without any discernible consultation with appropriate faculty bodies. They also allegedly paid little attention to whether or not the faculty members were tenured.

The AAUP went further to state that the dismissed faculty members were not given due process, to which they were entitled to receive.

The administration states that the firings were due to an “enrollment emergency,” which the AAUP argues was largely non-existent. They were also accused of violating the academic freedom of the faculty members who were dismissed and providing an inadequate severance package for the fired faculty.

In response to the findings of the AAUP, Clark Atlanta University President Carlton E. Brown issued the following statement:

CAU’s enrollment numbers speak for themselves, as does the state of our Nation’s economy. I’m sure you recall like I do a time not very long ago when this University boasted well over 5,000 students. Today, the enrollment is less than 4,000 students. Considering the progressive enrollment decline within the context of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, and it should be clear to any objective person that the actions taken as a part of CAU’s resource reduction program were absolutely essential. Please know that we understand and have always understood the position the AAUP would take in this matter. Our number one priority, however, has been and will always be the preservation of this fine institution for the students it serves now and will serve in the future.