Widespread campus demonstrations last year led to heated debate about how colleges should balance free speech and campus safety. Overlooked has been the erosion of faculty power as college presidents—under pressure from legislators, trustees, and other external forces—scramble to revise campus protest policies. By curtailing consultation with faculty in the interest of speedy decision-making, university leaders endanger shared governance, long a defining aspect of higher education
culture. Read this article
A recent Cato Institute report concludes that state disinvestment in higher ed is a myth and the real problem is colleges’ unnecessary spending.Not so fast, this article argues.
Higher ed analysts using the same data reach a different conclusion, considering such nuances as the time period examined, which inflation index to use, and the impacts of enrollment, pandemic relief funds, and institutional type. The best way out of this debate, they argue, is to focus not on the direction of state investment but whether it provides “adequate” funding. Read this article
In announcing its new “institutional restraint” policy last week, Dartmouth College emphasized the intentional choice of “restraint” over “neutrality.” This article parses that difference and highlights
additional characteristics that differentiate the policy from those adopted by other institutions. Given the increasing push from legislators, university trustees, and groups like FIRE to mandate institutional neutrality, Dartmouth’s policy should be a catalyst to revisit what’s meant by this term and to encourage more innovative and nuanced solutions. Read this article
The articles below offer different perspectives on institutional neutrality, provide context for debate, and highlight what to look for as more colleges consider neutrality policies.
Institutional neutrality is incompatible with the fundamental mission of universities. “Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values…meant to be instantiated by the work of the institution itself. These values are, by definition, not neutral.”
By Daniel Diermeier In a set of Q&A responses to concerns over institutional neutrality, the Chancellor of Vanderbilt University argues that “the movement toward neutrality strengthens free expression on campus and is a welcome step away from the creeping politicization of American
universities that has occurred in recent years.”
By Lilah Burke A balanced article that provides a history of institutional neutrality, looks at what’s included under its umbrella, and offers links to further opinions
and sources of information about the issue.
.The A The AKA Review will be taking a break for the holidays and will resume
on January 10, 2025.
Best wishes to you and yours for the holidays
and a very Happy New Year!
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