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Academic Freedom

Although often discussed in the same breath, free speech and academic freedom are two separate and distinct concepts. Free speech is a broad category of speech and conduct that encompasses general rights of expression and freedom from governmental restrictions on free expression. Academic freedom, on the other hand, applies specifically to the faculty when they are engaged in their professional activities - for example, in the classroom setting, research environment, or when conveying information relating to their academic discipline. Academic freedom provides faculty broad discretion regarding free inquiry and the exchange of ideas and opinions expressed in the university setting, including in teaching, research and publication. Academic freedom grants universities the right to determine their educational and research mission without restraint.

These principles enable the university to advance knowledge and to transmit it effectively to its students and to the public.

The university also seeks to foster a mature independence of mind in its students. This cannot be achieved unless students and faculty are free within the classroom to express the widest range of viewpoints in accord with the standards of scholarly inquiry and professional ethics. Thus, academic freedom protects the right of the faculty to deal with controversial topics in the classroom related to the curriculum or their research, notwithstanding the fact it may be offensive to some of those present in the classroom. It also protects the rights of student to speak freely on controversial topics in the classroom setting or in their academic work even if their views are considered offensive by their classmates or the faculty.

At the same time, academic freedom does not protect speech inside or outside of the classroom that is unrelated to the curriculum, that otherwise may be restricted by the University as an employer.

Colleges and universities, including public universities, can engage in regulation and evaluation of their faculty when the faculty is engaged in their professional activities, and in some circumstances, may restrict or discipline speech unrelated to the curriculum that impact the operation of the university.

Thus, an individual is free to express their opinions, no matter how unfounded or controversial, in a public forum. But a faculty member expressing the same unfounded views, or views unrelated to their expertise or curriculum, in their classroom would be subject to evaluation and even discipline. Similarly, a person might face no official consequences if they express views on social media opposing immigration; however, a faculty member would face consequences if they stated during a lecture that immigrants and foreign students were not welcome in their classroom.

Bottom line, the concept of academic freedom enables faculty to freely research and teach even controversial and cutting-edge subjects but does not provide license to freely engage in unfettered speech in the classroom and other university venues.

To learn more about academic freedom, please explore these resources.