Overview
- APSU confirmed that tenured theater professor Darren Michael returned to his faculty position effective Dec. 30, 2025.
- A settlement obtained via public records shows the university will pay $500,000, reimburse therapeutic counseling, and issue a campus-wide statement of regret.
- Tennessee’s governor, attorney general, and comptroller authorized the payout, according to documents cited by local and national outlets.
- Michael was initially fired on Sept. 12 after resharing a 2023 Newsweek headline about Kirk’s gun-deaths remarks, a move the president later said did not follow required tenure termination processes.
- The post drew national attention when Sen. Marsha Blackburn highlighted it on social media, and the case has been cited alongside other disciplinary actions and lawsuits following Kirk’s killing.