While the history of higher education is one of constant tensions among state, private and faculty power, recent attacks on the work of researchers and educators are more subject to disinformation and political polarization than in decades past. The sometimes indistinct boundaries of academic freedom make the discussion about what it is or should be more challenging; the public itself is largely disconnected from that discussion and how such principles and practices serve or should serve them.
In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court wrote that “our Nation is deeply committed to safeguarding academic freedom, which is of transcendent value to all of us, and not merely to the teachers concerned. That freedom is therefore a special concern of the First Amendment.” The Court observed that “the Nation’s future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to that robust exchange of ideas which discovers truth ‘out of a multitude of tongues, [rather] than through any kind of authoritative selection’.”
This two-part seminar, sponsored by the Royster Society of Fellows and by The Graduate School, is designed to educate students, faculty and the public about the principles, practices, and history of academic freedom and shared governance in the U.S. It will also consider new and emerging critiques that challenge principles that have traditionally been viewed as inviolate.
This second part of the seminar will address the current pressures faced on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus and other public institutions in the United States with an eye toward solutions. You are welcome to attend this session even if you did not attend session one on September 29. The event is open to members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community.
NOTE: If you have difficulty registering as a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill community, please use the following format when registering: [youronyen]@email.unc.edu.
Event Panelists:
- Neel Swamy; Graduate and Professional Student Government
- Martin Brinkley; UNC School of Law
- Julia Grumbles; Innovate Carolina
- Mimi Chapman; Chair of the Faculty
- Hans-Joerg Tiede; American Association of University Professors
Event Details:
October 13, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.
Register