An independent arbitrator ordered Portland State University to reinstate ten nontenure-track faculty and provide back pay after administrators cut staff without required shared-governance procedures. The decision reinforces contractual governance obligations and sets a cautionary precedent for other institutions facing budget stress. In a separate case, a faculty panel found Texas A&M erred in firing Professor Melissa McCoul over a gender-identity lesson, ruling the termination improper. Together the rulings underscore legal and contractual risks when administrations bypass faculty consultation on curricular or personnel changes amid retrenchment.