As president of the American Association of University Professors, Cary Nelson, the 62-year-old gadfly and erudite literary theorist, is trying to breathe new life into a group with a complicated dual role: speaking out on behalf of academic freedom, while also representing faculty at some colleges in contract talks.
The association’s core issues are front and center these days. Colleges are increasingly relying on part-time faculty, who have less job security and protection if they speak out on controversial subjects. But at such a critical time, the association has been hobbled by declining membership, staff turmoil and financial dysfunction.