The American Association of University Professors—which advocates for academic freedom, shared governance and higher education rights—has appointed Veena Dubal, a professor of law at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law, as general counsel.

Dubal, whose term runs through 2026 and is renewable, steps into the role as unrest on college campuses roils at a historic high, with student-led pro-Palestinian protests disrupting classes earlier in this year at many colleges and some professors facing punishment for expressing views the administration deemed antisemitic. Tensions also have broken over myriad other issues, such as whether to invite to campus speakers espousing unpopular ideas.