The University’s Senate Assembly passed a resolution which endorses a statement on academic freedom yesterday, reaffirming faculty support for limited restrictions on their academic research and classroom endeavors.
The resolution seeks to protect faculty members, who the American Association of University Professors does not consider “ordinary employees subject to the usual discipline of the American workplace”.
It was introduced to the Senate Assembly in December 2009 and endorsed by the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs last week.
Passed unanimously with four abstentions yesterday, the statement has been a focus of many recent SACUA and Senate Assembly meetings, as faculty have discussed concerns about a University’s right to discipline faculty because of dissent against the institution or threats to academic freedom.
As stipulated in the resolution, academic freedom also covers “freedom of teaching,” according to the statement, which allows professors the right to discuss potentially controversial ideas or research findings in their classrooms.
“Freedom of internal criticism” is also a provision in the statement that covers a faculty member’s right to criticize University policy in an individual manner or through “institutions of faculty governance.”
The statement highlights the independent role of faculty members in University decision-making and thus, they should be permitted to speak out should their opinion differ from that of the University’s.
Additionally, because professors are often involved in “public forums and debate”, outside of their professions as educators, the resolution also provides for “freedom of participation in public debate” which allows for professors to speak at these forums without fear of University repercussions.
The statement notes the value placed on academic freedom by professors and faculty in saying academic freedom “remains first and foremost a professional prerequisite of faculty members as a group.”
The majority of the faculty seemed to take interest in the resolution and posed questions dealing with the concepts of academic freedom to General Counsel Suellyn Scarnecchia who spoke before the Assembly.
Additionally, before the statement went to a vote, there was no discussion.
Though the statement endorsed by the Senate Assembly includes freedom in research and publication, teaching, internal criticism and participation in public debate, it does not protect professors from repercussion in certain circumstances.
These cases include, “defense of allegations of professional misconduct in research or teaching” or protection against potentially illegal or prohibited speech, or as a defense for harassing a student.
Engineering Prof. Michael Thouless, chair of SACUA, said he believes the statement is an important one for the University and added that it is one of the first of its kind around the country.
“For an institution such as the University of Michigan to adopt a resolution of this nature is precedence-setting,” Thouless said.
“We haven’t had a statement like that before at the University of Michigan,” he added. “(The University of) Minnesota had one, but it was very weak, very different than this one.”
—Sara Boboltz contributed to this report.