The Social Significance of Academic Freedom

Academic freedom remains a central tenet of our nation’s colleges and universities. However, recent incidents have spawned debates regarding the merits of academic freedom and the mechanism that protects it, tenure. By way of two contrasting examples, the authors consider how two types of higher education institutions—private for-profit universities and nonprofit public institutions—situate themselves in the public dialogue when controversies arise. The authors argue that academic freedom and tenure permit postsecondary institutions to act as vehicles for public engagement, whereas its absence only serves to curtail thoughtful discussions of complex and controversial issues.