Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning: Tenure Review Considers “Effectiveness in Communications,” “Collegiality”

Category: Free Speech
Schools: Alcorn State University Mississippi State University University of Mississippi Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi University for Women University of Southern Mississippi Jackson State University Delta State University

On April 21, 2022, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, which oversees eight Mississippi public universities, amended its tenure review process to grant university presidents the authority to award tenure and to include “effectiveness … and integrity in communications” and “collegiality” as mandatory criteria for consideration. On April 27, FIRE and PEN America wrote the IHL to urge the board to eliminate these provisions, as such collegiality requirements stifle dissent and chill speech in violation of the First Amendment.