26-03-2025
Beshear vetoes bill Kentucky professors say erodes academic tenure at public universities
Gov. Andy Beshear vetoes a bill that he says 'threatens academic freedom." (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)
Saying it 'threatens academic freedom,' Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has issued a veto to a Republican-backed bill that some Kentucky professors warned would erode academic tenure at the state's public universities and colleges.
Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, argued House Bill 424, was not about tenure in higher education but instead 'employment contracts' between universities and academic employees. If it becomes law, the bill would give universities and colleges the ability to remove faculty members and presidents for not meeting 'performance and productivity requirements' set by the institutions' boards.
In his veto message issued Tuesday, Beshear said Kentucky should focus on ways to 'attract, recruit and retain the best and brightest minds at Kentucky's universities and colleges,' which includes having faith in 'our university administrations and faculty to negotiate and offer competitive employment contracts.'
'In a time of increased federal encroachment into the public education, this bill will limit employment protections of our postsecondary institution teachers,' the governor wrote. 'This bill will limit Kentucky's ability to hire the best people and threatens academic freedom.'
However, as Republicans hold supermajorities in the House and Senate, they have the votes to override the governor's veto when they return to Frankfort Thursday and Friday to finish the 2025 legislative session. The bill passed both chambers largely on party lines.
Over the weekend, United Campus Workers of Kentucky issued an open letter and petition to Beshear asking him to veto the legislation. In their message, the group says the bill would have 'no guardrails in place to preserve the peer-driven academic review processes that have long protected academic freedom and tenure protections from partisan political interference.' Several UCW members previously testified against the legislation when it was heard in Tipton's House committee.
The American Association of University Professors and PEN America also denounced the bill in statements ahead of Beshear's veto.
Tipton said during House floor debate on the bill he believed the legislation would create 'a more efficient, more effective system of public education for students across the commonwealth.'
Kentucky isn't the only state where legislation has been introduced that could jeopardize the integrity of academic tenure for professors. A Nebraska Republican lawmaker recently introduced a bill that would replace academic tenure with annual performance evaluations of faculty members.
