St. John’s University moved to stop recognizing two long‑standing faculty unions, citing a need for flexibility to preserve its Catholic mission; union leaders pledged legal challenges. Administrators said the decision followed stalled contract talks and financial assessments, while faculty associations called the move out of step with Catholic labor traditions. Separately, Virginia State University terminated six professors—five tenured and one tenure‑track—without written explanations and issued no‑trespass warnings, prompting campus outcry and questions about due process. Trustees and legal counsel are facing immediate demands for transparency and documentation of the dismissals. These episodes raise governance and liability questions for boards nationwide, from collective‑bargaining strategies at religiously affiliated institutions to protections surrounding tenure, notice and procedural safeguards. Trustees should audit faculty‑labor policies, reexamine contingency legal exposure, and prepare communications for alumni and accreditors.