PS-03.A.25 - Academic Freedom
EFFECTIVE DATE: Sept. 1, 2022
ISSUE #: 3
PRESIDENT: Loren J. Blanchard
1. PURPOSE
To ensure compliance with University of Houston system policy and in recognition of the principle that a university of the first rank should have a clear statement of the privileges and responsibilities of its faculty members under the right of academic freedom, the University of Houston Downtown (UHD) adopts this policy statement.
2. DEFINITIONS
2.1 Faculty Member: A member of the Faculty Assembly as defined by the UHD Faculty Senate Constitution and any other person engaged in teaching and/or scholarly/creative activity at UHD.
3. POLICY
3.1 The University of Houston System adheres to clear and widely recognized principles of academic freedom, which are consistent with those articulated by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)'s 1940 Statement of Principles regarding the same. UHD adopts those principles and restates them here for the benefit of its community.
3.2 Teaching. The faculty member is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing the subject matter, but the faculty member should be careful not to introduce into the teaching controversial matter which has no close relation to the subject. .
3.3 Research and Publication. The faculty member is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of the faculty member's other academic duties; but research for personal pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding consistent with appropriate and relevant UHD administration and policies.".
3.4 Professionalism. The faculty member is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When speaking or writing as a citizen, the faculty member shall be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but the faculty member's special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educational officer, the faculty member should remember that the public may judge the profession and the institution by the faculty member's verbal or written comments. Hence the faculty member should at all times strive for accuracy, exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others, and make every effort to indicate that the faculty member is not speaking for the institution.
4. PROCEDURES
The are no procedures associated with this policy.
5. REVIEW PROCESS
Responsible Party (Reviewer): Vice President for Academic Affairs
Review: As needed Reprint of original policy statement.
Signed original on file in the President's Office.
6. POLICY HISTORY
Issue #1: unknown
Issue #2: 04/21/1987
7. REFERENCES
AAUP 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, with 1970 Interpretive Comments, in AAUP Policy Documents and Reports, 11th ed. (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015), 13-14.