Dear members of the DePaul community:

We, the steering committee of the DePaul chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), write to make you aware of our significant concern about the apparent unilateral review and reappointment of Robert L. Manuel as the president of DePaul University in December 2025. The uncertainty in the previous sentence is due to the lack of any official news about this review or reappointment being shared with faculty via Faculty Council or the entire university community via an official email announcement. As strong advocates for shared governance and academic freedom, we strongly object to this lack of transparency and shared governance in determining the best leadership for the university.

DePaul’s shared governance agreements for the university’s management are based on AAUP policies and best practices, not as optional or discretionary ideals, but as mutually agreed uponand, thereby, mandated structures and obligations codified in the Faculty Handbook and other shared governance documents and university policies. The AAUP statement “Faculty Participation in the Selection and Retention of Administrators” is clear about the substantial role that faculty must play in these processes.

“All decisions on retention and nonretention of administrators should be based on institutionalized and jointly determined procedures which include significant faculty involvement. With respect to the chief administrative officer, the Statement on Government specifies that the ‘leadership role’ of the president ‘is supported by delegated authority from the board and faculty.’ No decision on retention or nonretention should be made without an assessment of the level of confidence in which the president is held by the faculty.”

 The DePaul AAUP chapter held several meetings during autumn quarter 2025 for faculty and staff to share information, questions, and concerns about the university’s leadership and budgeting. Over two hundred people participated in these discussions, many sharing significant concerns about confidence in the university’s leadership. In accordance with the Faculty Handbook, the AAUP chapter made available an online petition to hold a Council of the Whole. Faculty Council leadership decided to convene a town hall meeting instead on January 29. 

As President Manuel’s evaluation and reappointment have been decided, and because a town hall meeting does not allow for resolutions to be proposed and voted on as in a formal Council of the Whole, genuine shared governance and joint action at DePaul have been casualized, if not eliminated, on this most important matter of the university’s leadership. Up to this point, a formal process of soliciting all faculty for input about the appointment and reappointment of administrators has been followed in the case of department chairs and deans (most recently with the reappointment of the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences), making the unilateral reappointment without a formal review and significant faculty input an unprecedented violation of existing procedures.

On January 20, 2026, we urged the Board of Trustees to rescind any offer of reappointment and restart the evaluation and reappointment process formally and transparently with significant faculty involvement. We encourage faculty, staff, and students to join us in this call for the Board of Trustees to formally evaluate President Manuel so that the most important stakeholders in the university community can weigh in thoughtfully and substantially about the university’s leadership. A petition is available here. 

Sincerely,

Professors An Chih Cheng (COE), Marcy J. Dinius (LAS), Kaveh Ehsan (LAS), and Erin Workman (LAS)

DePaul University AAUP steering committee

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This letter was submitted by The DePaul University AAUP steering committee, an advocacy group made of enure-line, term, and adjunct faculty, teaching staff, and graduate student members that defines professional values and standards for higher education to advance academic freedom and shared governance.