Faculty Committee Completes Review of University Policy on Academic Freedom

Report recommends raising visibility and understanding of protections for faculty

An aerial shot of Duke's campus.

A committee of faculty from across Duke charged with conducting a comprehensive, year-long review of the university’s policy on academic freedom presented a report of its findings and recommendations to the Academic Council on May 8.

The Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, Free Expression, and Engagement was assembled and charged by the Executive Committee of the Academic Council last summer in consultation with the president’s and provost’s offices. Charlotte Sussman, chair of the English department, led the committee, which included representatives from each of Duke’s nine schools and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

The report, which the Academic Council approved, began by underscoring that “academic freedom and its attendant responsibilities” are essential to the work of the university, noting that “scholars cannot develop new knowledge unless they are free to inquire and to speculate without coercion or external interference; they cannot share and enhance such knowledge unless they can openly discuss it with peers, students, and the general public.”

“Academic freedom exists not to enforce consensus but to protect inquiry,” the report noted.

The committee reaffirmed Duke’s existing policy, which was enshrined in the Faculty Handbook nearly 60 years ago and last revised in 1976 and recommended no changes to the language. But it advised Duke to increase the policy’s prominence, visibility and awareness among the faculty, “with the goal of demonstrating the importance of academic freedom to Duke’s mission and vitality.”

“Duke has a long history of supporting academic freedom, beginning with the Bassett Affair of Trinity College in 1903,” President Vincent E. Price said. “From time to time, a university must examine its policies to determine whether they still support the desired objectives. I’m grateful for the work of this committee in bringing their expertise to bear on this task.”

“I appreciate the committee’s strong affirmation of the principles of academic freedom and responsibility,” Provost Alec D. Gallimore said. “While Duke and the world have changed in almost unimaginable ways in the past half-century, our reliance on this foundational idea has not changed. We remain dedicated to Duke’s mission ‘to promote an intellectual environment built on a commitment to free and open inquiry.’”

“While Duke and the world have changed in almost unimaginable ways in the past half-century, our reliance on this foundational idea has not changed. We remain dedicated to Duke's mission ‘to promote an intellectual environment built on a commitment to free and open inquiry.’”

Duke Provost Alec D. Gallimore

Added Trina Jones, chair of the Academic Council and an ex officio member of the committee: “We recognize that faculty have many demands on their time and that this review was a heavy lift. The Academic Council is thus exceedingly grateful to Professor Sussman and the members of the committee for their tireless and dedicated service over the last year, demonstrating their commitment both to the university’s foundational principles as well as to its tradition of shared governance.”

Over the past academic year, the committee met to study Duke’s current policies, research similar policies at peer institutions, and discuss case studies.

The group also invited comments and feedback from the Duke community to inform their deliberations. Members of the committee met with leadership groups, shared an online questionnaire, and held a town hall in Page Auditorium in January that was attended by faculty, staff and students.

Recommendations for greater visibility include moving the policy from Appendix D to the first chapter of the Faculty Handbook along with the statement on responsibilities attendant on academic freedom, creating a website to showcase the policy, and educating faculty about academic freedom and responsibility during the new faculty orientation.

“The committee’s report was very much a group effort, with contributions from the entire Duke community,” Sussman said. “I especially want to thank the members of the committee, who came from a variety of ranks, viewpoints, and academic and life experiences. We did not agree on everything, but everyone approached this work with great seriousness and dedication and in a spirit of profound respect both for the issue at hand and for each other.

“In my opinion, the committee members were exemplary of what academic freedom offers and what it safeguards: scholars coming together to think through difficult issues and to learn from each other.”

The full report is available on the Academic Council website.