Higher Education Must Remain Independent
Dear DU community members,
This month, the federal government sent nine U.S. universities a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which sets forth specific parameters they must adopt to retain federal student loans, grants, or contracts, receive federal funding for research, get approval for student visas, and retain certain tax code treatments. Yesterday, other colleges and universities were asked to do the same. I encourage everyone to read the compact to get the full picture of the specific requirements.
MIT was the first of the nine universities to publicly reject the compact, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth’s letter to the U.S. government is worth reading. DU supports MIT in this rejection. We strongly disagree with any actions that restrict academic freedom or the ability to govern ourselves independently. As such, last week, I signed the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) statement on behalf of DU. Like the earlier statement from the AAC&U that I signed this past spring, this statement maintains a position of constructive engagement but repudiates the compact and reiterates an industry commitment to academic freedom and independence.
This isn’t the end of the conversation. Free speech and academic freedom have been under attack for quite some time. I feel strongly that this is terrible for higher education, and even worse for our country. Free speech and academic freedom are critical to the discovery of truth and open inquiry. For those of us who see these realities in our work each day, these ideas are foundational. Sadly, many in our nation do not see the critical connection between independence in education and a healthy, robust democracy.
DU will continue to protect and champion the work of academic freedom and freedom of expression in our teaching and research, and we have a rich set of policies and statements that guide us through this moment and beyond it:
This month, the federal government sent nine U.S. universities a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which sets forth specific parameters they must adopt to retain federal student loans, grants, or contracts, receive federal funding for research, get approval for student visas, and retain certain tax code treatments. Yesterday, other colleges and universities were asked to do the same. I encourage everyone to read the compact to get the full picture of the specific requirements.
MIT was the first of the nine universities to publicly reject the compact, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth’s letter to the U.S. government is worth reading. DU supports MIT in this rejection. We strongly disagree with any actions that restrict academic freedom or the ability to govern ourselves independently. As such, last week, I signed the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) statement on behalf of DU. Like the earlier statement from the AAC&U that I signed this past spring, this statement maintains a position of constructive engagement but repudiates the compact and reiterates an industry commitment to academic freedom and independence.
This isn’t the end of the conversation. Free speech and academic freedom have been under attack for quite some time. I feel strongly that this is terrible for higher education, and even worse for our country. Free speech and academic freedom are critical to the discovery of truth and open inquiry. For those of us who see these realities in our work each day, these ideas are foundational. Sadly, many in our nation do not see the critical connection between independence in education and a healthy, robust democracy.
DU will continue to protect and champion the work of academic freedom and freedom of expression in our teaching and research, and we have a rich set of policies and statements that guide us through this moment and beyond it:
- Policy and Principles on Freedom of Expression
- Faculty Senate Statement on Academic Freedom and Expression
- Principles for Executive Use of University Voice
- Policy on Employee Indemnification
- Policy on Discrimination and Harassment
We owe it to our students—and to all those we share this country with—to protect and defend academic freedom and institutional independence.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Haefner
Sincerely,
Jeremy Haefner