The issue of academic freedom is one that has plagued colleges and states throughout the country in recent years. At UConn, given that the university is significantly connected to the state of Connecticut, controversies surrounding the power of governments to regulate what colleges teach are of special importance. According to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, more than 150 state bills have been introduced in the past few years that are aimed at curtailing academic freedom on campus, which the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) defines as the “freedom of a teacher or researcher in higher education to investigate and discuss the issues in his or her academic field, and to teach and publish findings without interference.” These bills include efforts such as Florida’s restrictive Individual Freedom Act, passed in 2022, which made national headlines for its attempts to prevent teachings that suggest someone is privileged or oppressed based on race, sex or national origin.
Many of the most recent bills are far more subtle in their restriction of academic freedom. According to a report by PEN America, an influential free speech watchdog, only five bills were passed by states that explicitly curtailed free speech on campuses in 2024, many state lawmakers are now pushing different methods that likewise threaten to erode academic freedom. One such method is couching educational censorship within the idea of “viewpoint diversity,” which supposedly seeks to promote academic neutrality and free speech. Academic or institutional neutrality, which UConn has proposed for its own operations, might appear benign or even helpful. However, PEN America’s report notes, a law passed in Indiana which features this idea will in fact chill academic freedom by forcing professors to try and check every possible viewpoint box. According to the law, students can even report their professors to their university’s governing board for perceived omission of a certain point of view.
In the wake of the general rise in attacks on colleges’ freedom, the Editorial Board believes that both UConn and Connecticut should take steps to secure a healthy environment for learning on campus. For the state legislature, a possible method is reviving S.B 840, titled “An Act Concerning Academic Freedom at Public Institutions of Higher Education,” which was first introduced in the 2019 session of Connecticut’s congress but is now dead. The bill would have protected “the freedom of expression of faculty members at public institutions of higher education in their scholarship, research and teaching and regarding matters of public interest,” according to LegiScan, an organization that tracks information on legislation. These institutions would include UConn and other state colleges. The measure was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, which cited the organization’s commitment to preserving “everyone’s rights to free expression.” If the state legislature was to revive S.B 840, Connecticut would be able to demonstrate its own unwavering commitment to academic freedom.
UConn itself also has the potential to improve its work toward combatting censorship. An article by the Chronicle of Higher Education from 2021 laid out why colleges should pay more attention to the issue, arguing that academic freedom deserves the same commitment as initiatives surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion.
What would this renewed focus look like? Although UConn has already established guidelines for promoting academic freedom, as outlined by the university in testimony for a state government public hearing in 2023, simply having written principles is not enough in a new era of increasing skepticism towards institutions of higher learning. Most colleges have similar standards, but this has not prevented controversies over their meaning and effectiveness. UConn could take further action by appointing an academic freedom officer position, similarly to how DEI positions have been emphasized in recent years. This officer would then oversee controversies over censorship on campus, instead of placing such decisions in the hands of committees or the president. Having the ability to decide these cases independent of outside interests would bolster UConn’s credibility on the freedoms to educate and learn.
Issues regarding academic freedom are not going away anytime soon, but a concerted effort from UConn and the Connecticut government to protect the rights of faculty and students on campus would provide a model for other states and institutions to follow.