The Officers and Directors of the Minnesota Conference of the American Association of University Professors have reviewed the revision to the University of Minnesota Tenure Code proposed at the Setpember 5th meeting of the University's Board of Regents in Morris, MN. We believe these revisions seriously violate the basic principles of academic freedom and shared governance fundamental to ensuring the institutional and intellectual health of an academic community. The national AAUP advisory staff has also reviewed the proposals and concurs with our judgment. A copy of their press release is attached. Should this proposal be enacted, we would strongly recommend that the national AAUP's Committee A review the case, and, if they concurred with our judgment, censure the University of Minnesota Board of Regents for serious violations of academic standards and principles.

We are particularly concerned that the tenure revisions proposed by the Regents demonstrate a failure to understand that colleges and universities have a mission that differs in important respects from that of a typical business, and, therefore, that management techniques, authority structures and measures of productivity and profit that may be legitimate and efficient in a business are not appropriate in an institution of higher learning. In college and university governance, important safeguards must be in place to ensure academic freedom, safeguards similar in purpose to those mandated in the United States' Bill of Rights to protect freedom of expression and a free press, and freedom from interference in religious expression.

We urge the Board of Regents to withdraw the unacceptable plan drawn up by their consultants and reconsider the proposal submitted to them in June, 1996 by the University Faculty Senate. In our judgment, the faculty supported plan revises the current tenure and governance regulations in ways that address the concerns of the Board of Regents without jeopardizing academic freedom in teaching, research and shared governance. We note that University of Minnesota President Nils Hasselmo also recommened this course of action in his letter to the Board of Regents prior to introduction of the proposal. We note also that Academic Health Center Provost Frank Cerra has stated on several occasions that the faculty proposals are sufficient.

The academic strength of the University of Minnesota, the state's only major research university, affects the well-being of all Minnesota colleges and universities, public and private, large and small. Statewide, faculty consult and collaborate in research with University faculty, thereby benefiting from the breadth and depth of University faculty expertise and from the availability of research facilties beyond those that many institutions can provide. Many faculty are graduates of the University, and continue to attend conferences, classes, symposia and lectures there and consult with University faculty. our students benefit by taking specialized classes not available at their home institution, by participating in special research opportunities made available for students from smaller colleges, and by attending a variety of University sponsored events of an academic, artistic and recreational nature. Many remain in the state as they choose to attend graduate school at the University. We believe that if the changes in tenure and governance proposed by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents are enacted, there will be a sufficient decline in the quality of the University which would in turn inevitably reduce the quality of the academic experience offered to students at all institutions in the state.

Beyond the special importance of the University of Minnesota faculty to the faculty and students at other institutions, we all benefit as general citizens of Minnesota from having a recognized international research University in which an excellent faculty provides teaching and research of the highest quality. The U of M makes an invaluable contribution to our collective economic, social, political, spiritual, physical, artistic and legal well-being.

s/ President: Joseph Kreitzer, University of St. Thomas, 612.962.5683

Past-President: Jack Rossman, Macalester College, 612.696.6110

Vice-President: Craig Swan, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 612.625.6353

Secretary-Treasurer: Roxanne Gudeman, Macalester College, 612.696.6107

Director: Verna Corgan, Hamline University, 612.641.2229

Director: Marsha Blumenthal, University of St. Thomas, 612.962.5678

Director: Anne Pick, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 612.624.2070

Director: Mike Livingston, St. John's University, 308.363.3369