From Inside Higher Ed: The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted... to approve a lengthy definition of what academic freedom does and doesn’t protect throughout the state university system. It says academic freedom includes the right to teach and research “controversial or unpopular ideas related to the discipline or subject matter,” but also says “academic freedom is not absolute.” ...The board approved the definition in a voice vote, with no dissent heard.
The new UNC policy promises many of the same protections found in other descriptions of academic freedom, in addition to the caveat about how “academic freedom is not absolute.” It lists three elements that academic freedom doesn’t include:
- “Teaching content that lacks pedagogical connection to the course, discipline, or subject matter.”
- “Using university resources for political activity in violation of university policy.”
- “Refusing to comply with institutional policies.”
The policy stresses that administrators also share in implementing the university’s mission, including, at times, regulating faculty. It says administrators have the responsibility to ensure “faculty activities align with the university’s mission as established under UNC policy and meet accreditation standards” and to “intervene when faculty conduct violates professional norms, creates a hostile learning environment as defined by policy and law, or undermines the institution’s educational objectives.” ...
Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2026/02/26/unc-board-oks-definition-what-academic-freedom-and.
No comments:
Post a Comment