Motion: 2002-Sep-#1
Topic: Support academic freedom
Proposed by: Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee
Disposition: Adopted 9/02

 

Whereas it is the duty of university boards, administrators, and faculty to resist politicizing institutions of learning, and

Whereas the considered professional judgment of scholars, not politicians or legislators, must determine academic content and curricula, and

Whereas it is the responsibility of universities to prepare students to become effective citizens in a global society, and

Whereas the university owes its students opportunities to go to the source of controversial ideas, and

Whereas academic freedom becomes a necessity, not a luxury, in times of war even more than in times of peace, and

Whereas the reputation of a university, as well as its accreditation, depends upon its ability to withstand legislative incursions into its domain; therefore

Be it resolved that the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina reaffirms the value of academic freedom and a society based on genuine understanding, and

Be it further resolved that the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina commends the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, President Broad, and all servants of the public good for their courageous defense of academic freedom in the face of economic and political pressures.