Students Rights & Responsibilities, Academic Freedom

Academic Freedom

Board Policy 4030

Institutions of higher learning exist for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual instructor or the institution as a whole. The common good depends on the free search for truth and its free expression; to this end, faculty and students hold the right of full freedom of inquiry and expression.

Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research. Freedom is fundamental to the protection of the rights of the teacher in teaching and of the student in learning.

Academic freedom cannot be separated from academic and professional responsibility.

Instructors

The instructor has the right to study and investigate, interpret his/her findings and express resulting conclusions to students. The instructor has the responsibility to be thorough in his/her investigations and to draw conclusions supported by the findings. Because human knowledge is limited and changeable, the instructor may present views which are controversial and evaluate opinions held by others while simultaneously respecting and valuing their right of their free expression.

Students

The students shall have the freedom to express and defend their views, to question or differ without suffering repression or scholastic penalty. The students have the same responsibilities as instructors to seek and weigh evidence, express supportable conclusions, identify bias, and evaluate opinions held by others while respecting the right of their own free expression.