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APPROVED BY ACTION
OF THE FACULTY SENATE JUNE 2, 1998
PREAMBLE
The purpose of this statement is to promote public
understanding and support of academic freedom. Academic freedom exists
within the institutional framework of shared governance in which collegial
forms of deliberations are valued, responsibilities are shared, and constructive
joint thought and action are fostered among the components of the academic
institution(1). Institutions of higher education are conducted
for the common good and not to further the interests of either the individual
or the institution. The common good depends upon the free search for truth
and its free exposition. Academic freedom is essential to these purposes
and applies to both teaching and research. Freedom in research is fundamental
to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in its teaching aspect is
fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher in teaching
and of the student to freedom in learning(2). Membership in
the academic community imposes on students, faculty members, administrators,
and board members an obligation to respect the dignity of others, to acknowledge
their right to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual
honesty, freedom of inquiry, and free expression on and off the campus(3).
ACADEMIC FREEDOM(4)
Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom
in discussing issues relevant to their subject. Pedagogical decisions should
be made by the faculty in accordance with the policies of that academic
unit. Pedagogical decisions should be consistent with university policies,
codes of professional ethics and conduct as well as the educational goals
of the course and the evaluation standards held in the academic unit.
Teachers are entitled to full freedom in scholarly
activities and in dissemination of the results, subject to the adequate
performance of their other academic duties. Scholarly activities for pecuniary
return should be based upon policies established by the governing bodies
of the institution and the University System.
College and university teachers are citizens, members
of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When
they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional
censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes
special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should
remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution
by their utterances. Hence, they should at all times be accurate, should
exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinion of
others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking
for the institution.
1) based on the Joint Statement on
Government of Colleges and Universities, as it
appears in the AAUP Policy Documents and Reports 7th edition, 1990:
119.
2) based on the 1940 Statement of
Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as it
appears in the AAUP Policy Documents and Reports 7th edition, 1990:
3.
3) based on A Statement of the Association's
Council: Freedom and Responsibility, as it
appears in the AAUP Policy Documents and Reports 7th edition, 1990:
77.
4) based on the 1940 Statement of
Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as it
appears in the AAUP Policy Documents and Reports 7th edition, 1990:
3-4.
Last Updated on June 4, 1998 by Ginger Malphrus