Last week, the Jacksonville State University (JSU) Board of Trustees approved a resolution dissolving the faculty senate and laying the groundwork to implement the other sections of House Bill 580 (HB580), which gives university leadership a process to review faculty tenure and tenure reviews.
HB580 establishes new governance requirements for all of Alabama’s public institutions of higher education, except the University of Alabama and Auburn system schools. Lawmakers say that although the same law doesn’t bind the two flagship systems, they are still funded through the State, and the expectation is that they will comply voluntarily.
Auburn University was the first school to implement parts of the bill. In June, Auburn outlined the infrastructure of a Presidential Academic Advisory Council to replace its faculty senate and put in place a “Curriculum, Courses, Syllabi, and Core Educational Requirements Policy.”
The legislation states, “Only the governing board of a public institution of higher education may establish a faculty senate at the institution.” It also requires the university president to appoint faculty senate leadership positions.
SEE: Ivey signs law allowing firing of tenured university faculty, limits faculty senate authority
“The Board has a responsibility to ensure Jacksonville State University complies with Alabama law while providing sound governance, accountability, and responsible stewardship of the public resources entrusted to the University,” board chairman Randall Jones said in a statement released by the university.
“Today’s action fulfills that responsibility while beginning the important work of developing Board-approved policies that reflect the requirements of the law and support the University’s long-term success. We have every confidence in President Killingsworth’s leadership as he works with University leadership to develop recommendations for the Board’s consideration,” Jones continued.
Under the resolution, JSU president Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. will work with university leadership, legal counsel, and other appropriate officials to develop recommendations for Board-approved policies governing faculty and staff advisory structures, tenure, post-tenure review, and curriculum oversight. Those recommendations will be presented to the board of trustees for consideration over the coming months as implementation of the new law continues.
Killingsworth said the board’s action marks the beginning of an important process for the University.
“Today’s action fulfills an important legal responsibility, but it also begins the work of thoughtfully developing policies that comply with state law while supporting the mission of Jacksonville State University,” Dr. Killingsworth said. “Everything we do as a University should ultimately support student success. As we move through this transition, that guiding principle will not change. I look forward to working with University leadership, our faculty, and our staff to develop policies that reflect the requirements of the law while continuing to strengthen Jax State and the opportunities we provide our students.”
“I fought this piece of legislation because I believe in the voice of the faculty senate,” State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile), a trustee, said at the meeting, according to the student paper, the JSU Chanticleer.
“I believe it was a politically motivated act,” she said before saying that she would vote for the change for the university to comply with state law.
The law states that every state university must be in compliance by October 1, 2026.
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