A state law, House Bill 580, that restricts the power of faculty senates at public universities and mandates post-tenure reviews for staff formally went into effect on October 1. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Troy Stubbs, R-Wetumpka, and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in April, grants university governing boards increased authority over tenured professors and faculty representation on campuses. This includes the power to dismiss tenured professors, abolish faculty senates, and require a post-tenure review process.
However, university administrations have reacted differently to the new requirements. Some institutions moved over the summer to dissolve their faculty senates, while others have committed to maintaining them, either in their existing form or a modified, weakened capacity.
Rep. Stubbs expressed satisfaction last week, stating he was "pleased to see that they are looking for ways in which they can apply House Bill 580 to the betterment of their universities." Stubbs noted that each university had opportunities to consult with his team to ensure compliance. He added that the bill was written to provide universities with a degree of autonomy to address legislative focus areas in a way that suited their individual institutions, though he did not specify what the Legislature wanted universities to focus on.
Stubbs also clarified that the bill does not prevent faculty from expressing themselves on campuses. He emphasized that the legislative body aims to empower university leadership and trustees to be accountable for campus affairs, asserting that "Nowhere in the bill does it minimize or eliminate faculty senates. Nor does the bill address that faculty members cannot communicate or share their feelings."
Under the legislation, faculty senates must ensure adequate representation for each college and school, unless otherwise specified by the governing board. It also requires faculty senate leadership positions to be appointed by the university president. Furthermore, senates are limited to a maximum of 60 members, with two members per college or school—one appointed by the university president and the other elected by faculty. If a faculty senate meets these specific requirements, its university's board of trustees is not obligated to abolish the organization.
Despite an exemption in the state constitution for Auburn University and the University of Alabama, Auburn's Board of Trustees voted in June to dissolve its University Senate and assume direct control over curricula. This decision sparked backlash from faculty members, who reported feeling excluded. Beth Davis-Sramek, president of Auburn’s American Association of University Professors chapter and a business professor, stated that Auburn trustees "went far beyond what they were required to do in that law." She added that the board simply decided that faculty would not have representation.
Auburn's faculty senate replacement, the Presidential Academic Advisory Council, will serve in a strictly advisory role, even with some members elected by their peers. Davis-Sramek warned that stripping faculty of their collective voice and meaningful ownership in program and curriculum direction could negatively impact the university and, more critically, students. Auburn has not yet changed its post-tenure review policy, though the board has indicated future changes are coming.
Jacksonville State University (JSU) also saw its Board of Trustees vote to dissolve its faculty senate shortly after Auburn's decision. JSU's student newspaper, The Chanticleer, reported that an alternative board, composed of six elected and seven appointed faculty members, will be presented to the Board of Trustees during a meeting scheduled for October 19 and 20. Lance Ingwersen, a history professor at JSU, noted on Tuesday that "there is no plan B that’s been communicated" should the Presidential Faculty Academic Roundtable not be approved.
In contrast, Troy University announced on Monday that its Board of Trustees voted to maintain its faculty senate. Lenetra Jefferson, president of the Troy University faculty senate, stated that the senate "provides the faculty with a voice that can help support both academically and, on the student-supportive side, with the university." Jefferson described the senate as an advisory council that shares governance but is not the final decision-making body, appreciating its working relationship with administration. Ingwersen commented that the decisions by universities to keep a faculty senate demonstrated that the law permitted their continuation.
The University of Alabama (UA) Board of Trustees also voted to maintain its faculty senate across all campuses, but it limited the organization to an advisory role. Amber Buck, an associate professor of English at UA, clarified that this decision did not alter the senate's existing function, as its advisory role "has always been the case." Buck indicated that the more significant changes at UA stem from the post-tenure review aspect of the legislation. The law requires governing boards to establish a policy for post-tenure review, covering professional responsibilities, development, and the possibility of tenure revocation or other disciplinary action if "incompetency, neglect of duty, or other good cause is determined to be present."
Buck stated that this aspect is causing "the most consternation at UA at the moment." She added that tenured faculty at UA believe they already work diligently and produce quality research and teaching. She characterized the new review process as feeling "a little bit like a solution in search of a problem" given the thorough annual review process already in place for tenured faculty at the university.
