UFA Activism
UFA Academic Freedom Statement
Beginning in January 2025, the Anti-Racism and Social Justice Task Force initiated work to foster academic freedom and responsibility on NIU's campus and in our community. This work responded directly to federal actions undermining both freedom of expression and the responsibility of higher education to defend democracy. Early results of this work include the two statements below, on Academic Freedom and Responsibility and on the detention of Mahmoud Khalil. These statements were approved unanimously by the UFA Executive Board, then presented as Resolutions to the University Professionals of Illinois 4100 House of Delegates general assembly on March 29, 2025, where they were also approved by unanimous acclamation.
In Fall of 2024, the United Faculty Alliance rallied in support of colleagues in the School of Theatre and Dance, whose recruitment for students for its Master of Fine Arts in Acting was abruptly halted until further notice. 275 members of UFA, other faculty including instructors, staff, and members of the community signed the following petition, which some 60 UFA faculty and community members delivered to Altgeld Hall to demand the immediate resumption of the MFA in Acting at NIU.