Say no to NDAs and forced arbitration in higher education

Update 9/7/18: Big news! Purdue Global has announced that it will immediately end the use of a nondisclosure agreement for faculty and will rescind NDAs that have been already signed. This happened thanks to the pressure put on them by the Indiana Conference of the AAUP, the national AAUP, and all of you who have signed the petition so far. Keep it up! We're calling on Purdue Global to also end the shameful practice of forced arbitration agreements for students. Sign and share!


To: Chancellor Betty Vandenbosch, Purdue University Global; Board Chair Mike Berghoff, Purdue University Global; President Mitch Daniels, Purdue University

The requirement that faculty at Purdue University Global sign nondisclosure agreements as a condition of employment is a clear violation of standard academic practice and violates faculty members’ rights to their own intellectual property as well as their academic freedom. In addition, the gag clause contained in the agreement that faculty are being asked to sign violates academic freedom by seeking to bar faculty from speaking out about academic policies, curriculum, and budgetary matters.

The requirement that students sign forced arbitration agreements as a condition of enrollment restricts student rights and is typical of a for-profit college, not a public research institution.

We ask that you immediately cease requiring these restrictive agreements for faculty and students.