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January 8, 2014 VIA ELECTRONIC AND USPS MAIL Dr. Michael Martin Chancellor Colorado State University System 410 17th Street, Suite 2440 Denver, Colorado 80202 Dr. Lesley Di Mare President Colorado State University Pueblo 2200 Bonforte Boulevard Pueblo, Colorado 81001 Dear Chancellor Martin and President Di Mare: This letter is prompted by reports that Chancellor Martin has informally proposed the elimination of numerous Colorado State University - Pueblo faculty positions in order to meet a planned 2014-15 budget reduction. The university is not reported as having declared financial exigency. You are doubtless aware that the interest of our Association in a current situation such as that reported at Colorado State University Pueblo stems from its longstanding commitment to academic freedom, tenure, and due process. The basic standards are articulated in the enclosed 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, jointly formulated by the AAUP and the Association of American Colleges and Universities and endorsed by more than 210 scholarly and higher-education organizations. Derivative procedural standards are set forth in the AAUPs enclosed Recommended Institutional Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure, and The Role of the Faculty in Conditions of Financial Exigency. As these documents specify, the AAUP recognizes only three bases for the termination of faculty appointments as being consistent with principles of academic freedom and tenure: (1) dismissal for cause, (2) bona fide financial exigency, and (3) program discontinuance for educational reasons, as determined by the faculty. See particularly Regulations 4 and 5 of the Recommended Institutional Regulations. Because the stated grounds for the threatened terminations are financial, the most applicable AAUP-recommended

Chancellor Martin and President Di Mare January 8, 2014 Page 2 procedural standards would appear to be those related to financial exigency, as incorporated in Regulation 4c of the Recommended Institutional Regulations. We shall be watching developments at Pueblo closely. We certainly hope that the terminations of faculty appointments can be avoided. If not, we shall be available to advise and assist professors who are adversely affected and other faculty and administrative officers who may be involved.

Sincerely,

Anita Levy, Ph.D. Associate Secretary

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