Who Has the Final Say? Academic Freedom, Censorship, and Governance in Higher Education

Abstract:

The last three years have witnessed an assault on academic freedom at US colleges and universities. The right-wing attack on higher education is nothing less than a nationwide, multiyear campaign that aims to silence faculty by banning course content and materials, surveilling classrooms, eliminating tenure, and defunding programs. These violations of academic freedom exacerbate a shift already underway, from faculty collective authority to external governance and control. This article examines the attack on academic freedom and opportunities for resistance. We argue that protecting academic freedom requires faculty to work toward the democratization of governance in higher education and to leverage power with union, accreditation, and civil rights organizations.

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