Category Archives: Academic Freedom

Free Speech in Academe

Report on Situation at UC Davis

Here is an excellent report on the situation at UC Davis, and in the California public university system in general, in the wake of pepper spraying of students and use of police brutality on campus. Β It includes an interview with untenured professor Nathan Brown who called for the Chancellor’s resignation, and has since garnered support [...]
Comments Off | By trotsky | November 23rd, 2011

Troubling Academic Freedom Case at Brooklyn College

February 1, 2011 UPDATE: It has been announced on Democracy Now that Brooklyn College has reversed its decision and rehired the professor.Β  Good sense and academic freedom prevails! An adjunct professor at Brooklyn College was fired for his “pro-Palestinian” views.Β  Academic Freedom watchdog group FIRE protests the president on his behalf.Β  Here’s the link to [...]
Comments Off | By trotsky | January 29th, 2011

Understanding Academic Freedom

Academic Freedom, covered under article III in the UFCT 1460's CBA, can be an elusive concept to understand.  The case of University of Alaska professor, Rick Steiner, who lost a research grant due to his outspoken statements on environmental conservation, gets to the core principle of academic freedom: the freedom of faculty to pursue the [...]
Comments Off | By Suzanne | October 29th, 2009

News and Comments: April 29, 2008

Dear members, Several items of note: 1.  Ratification of the Collective Bargaining Agreement/Elections As you probably know by now, on April 17th the Union and the Administration signed the Memorandum of Understanding (often referred to as the "MOU"), a document that lists the changes to the contract brought about through the collective bargaining process.  These [...]
Comments Off | By Suzanne | April 29th, 2008

The Question of Collegiality

Is "collegiality" a valid category in assessing whether a faculty member merits promotion?  This statement from the American Association of University Professors explains in the plainest terms the dangers of separating collegiality out from those criteria traditionally taken into account at most institutions of higher learning: teaching, research, and service.  The statement argues that by [...]
Comments Off | By Suzanne | February 2nd, 2008