In 1932 Associate Professor of Secondary Education A. D. Mueller was notified that he would not be recommended for reappointment on grounds of weakness in his fieldwork with the secondary schools and poor teaching (often reading to classes from his own books). He appealed to President Hoskins and received a year’s delay, being reassigned to supervision of student teaching and research duties only. Things appeared to improve, but in 1936 Dean Thackston again notified Mueller of his termination. Mueller asked to remain but submitted a letter of resignation to take effect a year later. Thackston accepted his resignation for the later date (September 1, 1937). Mueller appealed to the trustees in 1937 to be reappointed and asked the national AAUP to investigate his dismissal.
The AAUP investigating committee concluded that the conditions of tenure at the university were unsatisfactory and not in keeping with good academic custom and usage. The national association required that an equitable adjustment be made with Mueller and that tenure conditions must be improved.
The reestablished UT chapter of the AAUP wrote the national association urging restraint, indicating that its review of the evidence and the report of the investigating committee suggested that the evidence for Mueller was not sufficiently strong to warrant drastic action on the part of the national group. The chapter also pointed out that only two faculty members were interviewed by the committee and that the institutional response was not included in the report. Nevertheless, in 1939 the AAUP censured UT. Other universities censured at the same AAUP meeting included Montana State University, St. Louis University, West Chester (Pennsylvania) State Teachers College, and John B. Stetson University (Deland, Florida). The censure of UT was removed in 1947 with President Brehm’s agreement to follow the AAUP tenure policy.