JAE 79-2 Background

ACSA is an international membership association that represents more than 200 schools and 7,000 faculty in many different settings globally, teaching across a broad professional and disciplinary curriculum. The organization is committed to providing inclusive venues for scholarship and its core values, including equity and justice.

Risks to the Organization

On January 29, President Trump issued an executive order about “combating antisemitism” that confirmed the adoption of a working definition of antisemitism with contemporary examples created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (the IHRA) in 2016. Along with the new executive order was the appointment of a task force investigating universities for potential civil rights violations “and serving as an entry point to pressure schools to reassess their policies.” (See New York Times article.)

IHRA definitions and examples of antisemitism—adopted in two-thirds of U.S. states prior to 2025 and in federal government policies—present the highest threat for lawsuits, prosecution, and actions against individuals. These definitions are vague and restrictive of free speech. However, these laws exist, and are being applied widely.

ACSA learned that university presidents and governors in two states with IHRA antisemitism statutes were notified about the JAE Call for Papers, and urged to restrict the use of state funds for ACSA membership dues and activities. These two states alone have 12 architecture programs. We expect that other states have also been notified. Joining ACSA could be deemed illegal due to the Call for Papers. Proceeding with the issue threatened the ability for member schools and their faculty to join or engage with ACSA.

ACSA depends on dues paid by member schools on behalf of their faculty and staff. Funding losses would impact the organization’s ability to provide vital future programs in support of architectural education.

Risks to Individuals

The ACSA board considered risks to individuals from the Call for Papers, and it reviewed the ability of the organization to protect individuals from government investigation or adverse actions that might threaten their immigration status, employment status, or other impacts. The U.S. federal administration is actively investigating students and faculty for “anti-American” activities and related speech, including carrying out deportations. 

The emergence of this new climate led the JAE Interim Executive Editor to ask the ACSA Executive Committee to show some members of the Editorial Board as nominally “on leave” on the website, for the intended purpose of protecting them against potential investigation or deportation. This request, made at the end of January 2025, was unprecedented and demonstrated to the ACSA board how the specific language in the issue Call for Papers had created personal risks to anybody affiliated with the journal. The exposed individuals include the journal’s editorial board, the board and staff of the ACSA, and any authors of articles selected for publication in the issue. 

Additionally, we have since learned that our concerns about risks to individuals from investigations at their home institutions are being borne out, despite the halting of the issue.  

Ownership

JAE is owned by ACSA, one of two journals ACSA publishes. Both are distributed by global publisher Taylor & Francis. All copyright for material published by JAE is owned by the ACSA. Ultimate responsibility for what is published in JAE rests with ACSA. 

Under ACSA’s Bylaws, a 12-person board of directors governs the association, having final authority on all of the organization’s decisions and responsibility for the organization’s financial resources, legal compliance, and reputation. (More about ACSA.)

Editorial Roles and Responsibilities

JAE is led by a paid executive editor and supported by an editorial board that provides intellectual leadership for the journal and advises the executive editor regarding the journal’s strategic direction, editorial policy, and content. The editorial board is composed of the executive editor, three associate editors, and up to 18 other at-large editorial board members. All are appointed by the ACSA Board of Directors.  

Policies for JAE are approved by the ACSA Board of Directors. The policies determine the roles and responsibilities of all participants.

Executive Editor: 

• Appointed by the ACSA Board of Directors for a defined term, typically 3 years with the possibility of renewal. 
• Has final responsibility for the editorial and graphic content of the publication, unless otherwise decided by the ACSA Board of Directors (see Editorial Independence below).
• Serves in the role under a professional services contract; receives an annual stipend.   

Associate Editors: 

• Appointed by the ACSA Board of Directors following recommendation by the Executive Editor.
• Typically serve a three-year term in the role, which may be renewed for up to three additional years; receive an annual stipend.
• Support different departments or topic areas covered by the journal (e.g., design content, reviews, and social media). 

At-Large Members: 

• Appointed by the ACSA Board of Directors following recommendation by the Executive Editor.
• Typically serve a three-year term in the role, which may be renewed for up to three additional years. Terms are staggered. 
• Review manuscripts, identify additional peer reviewers, and participate in committees and other activities related to the Editorial Board’s advisory role. 

ACSA Executive Committee: 

• This standing committee of the board includes the president, past president, first vice president, second vice president, secretary/treasurer, executive director, and one at-large director. 
• The ACSA Executive Committee acts as a liaison between the JAE Editorial Board and the ACSA board. It receives recommendations from the Executive Editor or JAE Editorial Board and communicates them to the ACSA board with any recommendations for actions, as appropriate.

ACSA Staff:

• The ACSA Executive Director is the primary point of contact for the JAE Executive Editor. 
• ACSA staff are assigned to serve as the managing editor for the journal and to support editorial, production, and communications functions for the journal.

Press:

• ACSA contracts with a commercial or academic press to handle production, printing, and/or distribution of JAE. 
• The Executive Director or other national office staff serve as the liaison with the press.

ACSA’s policies governing JAE define the editorial independence of the journal by giving the executive editor final responsibility for the content of the journal and assigning the JAE Editorial Board an advisory role regarding the journal’s strategic direction, editorial policy, and content.

This independence is not total. The following clause appears in the ACSA’s policies, and is included in the executive editor’s contract and in the JAE Editorial Board Guide:

ACSA reserves the right to review, manage, or halt publication of content in cases where ACSA believes breaches of law or ethics may be implicated or as otherwise deemed necessary by the ACSA Board of Directors in its discretion.

Such a limit reflects ACSA’s ownership of JAE and ACSA’s ultimate responsibility for the content published in or through the journal.

The scope of the journal is defined by its mission statement, which appears on the inside cover of print issues and on the JAE website.

The Journal of Architectural Educationis a peer-reviewed international journal published by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and has been the primary venue for research on architectural education since 1947. It is a platform for architectural educators, scholars, designers, writers, and organizers committed to the ongoing transformation of architectural education and the culture of architectural research toward an inclusive, just, and sustainable future.

The American Association of University Professors’ definition of academic freedom focuses on “the freedom of a teacher or researcher in higher education to investigate and discuss the issues in his or her academic field.” The primary components of this freedom pertain to the individual’s university context, particularly “freedom from institutional censorship or discipline.” It is important to note that ACSA is not a university; rather it is an independent nonprofit organization. 

ACSA members can rightly question what the boundaries are for ACSA’s scholarly programs. The boundaries are not unlimited. No membership association can delegate unlimited authority to a journal editorial board or other program. We can, however, engage our members to reexamine our structures of oversight and decision-making to help navigate our way through our current context.

The organization has announced three main steps it is taking to be accountable to its members for the decisions it made regarding JAE 79.2 Palestine and to guide the organization forward in ways that fulfill our commitment to values of equity, social justice, and climate action. 

1. Opportunities for discussion. ACSA held a facilitated discussion at the 113th Annual Meeting in March 2025 and has scheduled an April 28 Member Caucus. Both are opportunities for member school faculty to reflect on the divisions within our diverse organization and focus on ways of communicating, decision-making, and collaborating in ways that bring our community together.  
2. Special Committee. ACSA is creating a committee to assess the legal and political threats, needs, and opportunities at ACSA member schools with the purpose of creating strategies and policies to guide ACSA journals, conferences, publications, competitions, prizes, fellowships, and awards.
3. Charge an independent consultant or task force to review processes related to JAE 79.2 Palestine. The consultant or group will review the ACSA board’s and JAE Editorial Board’s decisions, processes, and structures that led to the Call for Papers and subsequent halt of the issue. The external assessment will compare ACSA’s policies and practices with other peer association publishers and editorial boards.