tenure

The plaintiffs are two professors at Purdue University Fort Wayne. They say the new law violates their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

The bill's supporters characterize higher education in Indiana as an echo chamber, but the petition says it would do “serious harm to cultural diversity efforts in Indiana.” 

Senate Bill 202 allows university trustees to fire or demote tenured faculty for failing to foster what it calls “intellectual diversity” in their classes.

Senate Bill 202 has been unpopular on college campuses. Faculty say it threatens academic freedom, a perspective its supporters deny.

Its author, Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) said his bill will protect tenured professors, although nearly all who spoke last week said it would stifle academic freedom.

Senate Bill 202 would require regular reviews of tenured faculty to determine whether they meet certain criteria related to “intellectual diversity.”

While the portion of faculty in tenure-track positions has declined nationwide, Provost Shrivastav said more full-time professors can further IU’s objectives.