Academic Freedom in US Higher Education: Rights Emergent from the Law and the Profession
Definition
:1. Introduction
2. History
3. Scholarly Theories and Perspectives on Academic Freedom
3.1. Constitutional School
3.2. Professional and Legal Complement School
3.3. Socio-Historical School
3.4. Market Effects School
3.5. Critical Theory School
4. Academic Freedom and Professors’ Work
4.1. Tenure
4.2. Teaching
4.3. Research
4.4. Service
“College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence, they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution”[47] (p. 14)
5. The Future of Academic Freedom
5.1. Legislation
5.2. Technology
5.3. Equity and Social Change
6. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
AACU&U | American Association of Colleges and Universities |
AI | Artificial Intelligence |
AAUP | American Association of University Professors |
CEU | Central European University |
NORC | National Opinion Research Center |
US | United States |
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Sun, J.C. Academic Freedom in US Higher Education: Rights Emergent from the Law and the Profession. Encyclopedia 2025, 5, 64. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5020064
Sun JC. Academic Freedom in US Higher Education: Rights Emergent from the Law and the Profession. Encyclopedia. 2025; 5(2):64. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5020064
Chicago/Turabian StyleSun, Jeffrey C. 2025. "Academic Freedom in US Higher Education: Rights Emergent from the Law and the Profession" Encyclopedia 5, no. 2: 64. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5020064
APA StyleSun, J. C. (2025). Academic Freedom in US Higher Education: Rights Emergent from the Law and the Profession. Encyclopedia, 5(2), 64. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5020064