On September 12, 2025, Austin Peay State University (APSU) fired Darren Michael, an associate professor of Acting/Directing, for a social media post about political commentator Charlie Kirk’s killing.
According to screenshots posted on X, Michael had posted on Facebook a screenshot of a 2023 Newsweek article titled, “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.” On September 12, APSU president Mike Licari announced that Michael had been fired because he had “reshared a post on social media that was insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death…Such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity.” Michael’s firing did not appear to follow an APSU policy calling for a committee of six tenured faculty members to review cases involving termination of a faculty member for adequate cause.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about a state university firing a faculty member for their private exercise of free expression outside of the classroom. Free expression is a human right due to all persons, including faculty, students, and other members of higher education communities. Free expression is different from academic freedom, but they are intimately related, such that the firing of a professor for their private expression also undermines academic freedom. Moreover, Scholars at Risk is concerned that the university acted precipitously, without following established procedures, violating principles of shared governance. This raises concern that the university acted to sanction the professor’s private expression to forestall or acquiesce to pressure from persons outside the higher education sector, undermining institutional autonomy.
Update 1/07/26: On December 30, APSU notified the campus community that Michael would return to his position since the school had not followed its own policies for firing a tenured faculty member. A copy of the settlement agreement from January 5, 2026 indicated that APSU will pay Michael $500,000 and reimburse therapeutic counseling services.
Sources:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/09/12/6-more-faculty-staff-removed-kirk-comments
https://clarksvillenow.com/local/apsu-fires-professor-over-resharing-social-media-post-about-shooting-of-charlie-kirk/
https://www.theleafchronicle.com/story/news/local/clarksville/2025/09/15/austin-peay-darren-michael-fired-charlie-kirk/86159781007/
https://www.onstageblog.com/onstage-blog-news/2025/9/13/theatre-professor-fired-over-social-media-post-about-charlie-kirk-shooting
https://clarksvillenow.com/local/apsu-to-pay-500000-to-professor-fired-then-reinstated-over-charlie-kirk-post/