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Pinker’s Five-Point Plan for Harvard
Harvard Professor Steven Pinker published a five-point “plan to save Harvard from itself:” Free speech. Universities should adopt a clear and conspicuous policy on academic freedom. It might start with the First Amendment, which binds public universities and which has been refined over the decades with carefully justified exceptions. These include crimes that by their very…
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University of Toronto forms Academic Freedom Group
The Council on Academic Freedom University of Toronto (CAFUT) is a faculty-led group devoted to: Free inquiry The Council will advocate for academic freedom in teaching, research, and speech for members of the U of T community. Intellectual diversity The Council will promote thoughtful engagement by students and scholars who represent a broad range of…
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Alivisatos on Campus Free Speech
University of Chicago President (and former Berkeley Professor) Paul Alivisatos wrote a message to campus extolling free speech as both a gift and a collective responsibility: Ours is a culture built upon a fundamental commitment to place evidence, reason, logic, and rigor over authority, tradition, ideology, or dogma. The University can only achieve this vision…
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Provost on Political Activity
On October 25, 2023, Provost Benjamin Hermalin posted this message to CalMessages. Dear Community, I write to remind people of University policy as pertains to academic freedom and political advocacy in the classroom. While instructors enjoy considerable freedom and all individuals, when acting as private citizens, enjoy free speech rights, University policy does impose…
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Jenny Martinez on Free Speech
On March 9th, 2023, students at Stanford disrupted a talk by Judge Kyle Duncan. In response, then Dean Jenny Martinez penned a detailed memo explaining Stanford Law’s commitment to free speech. In August 2023, Martinez became Stanford’s Provost.
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Harvard Faculty Organize New Academic Freedom Group
More than 50 faculty members at Harvard have founded the Council on Academic Freedom, committing to the following ideals: