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Increasingly, state governments are intervening in higher education in ways that constrain the freedom of inquiry and expression essential to liberal education and that violate the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
Across the country, state legislatures and governors are imposing or seeking to impose restrictions on teaching and learning in colleges and universities. The majority of these restrictions are focused on concepts related to race, gender, LGBTQ+ identities, and American history.
These government interventions violate the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy on which the quality and integrity of our system of higher education depends. Foundational to American higher education, these closely interrelated principles both enable and preserve the freedom of inquiry and expression necessary to pursue truth wherever it may lead, to increase knowledge, and to drive innovation and discovery.
Developed by the American Council on Education and PEN America, this resource guide helps higher ed leaders make the case against politically imposed restrictions on what is taught and how.
This report from PEN America analyzes state legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities in K–12 and higher education.
The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking legislation that would prohibit DEI offices or staff; ban mandatory diversity training; prohibit the use of diversity statements in hiring and promotion; or prohibit use of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in admissions or employment.
Web Exclusive
American higher education is facing an existential threat, write AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella and Frederick M. Lawrence, secretary and chief executive officer of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Podcast
AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella discusses recent and proposed changes to higher education in Florida as well as the state’s rejection of an AP course in African American studies.
Article
Florida’s decision to reject a new Advanced Placement class on African American studies raises unsettling questions, Lynn Pasquerella and Mary Dana Hinton write in Inside Higher Ed.
Magazine Article
From bans on teaching critical race theory, surveys assessing viewpoint diversity of professors, pressure to change course content and syllabi, and threats to eliminate tenure, Lynn Pasquerella argues such tactics undermine higher education’s purpose and weaken our democracy
Public Statement
This joint statement explains that legislative restrictions on freedom of inquiry and expression violate the institutional autonomy on which the quality and integrity of our system of higher education depends.
Open Letter
Signed by AAC&U and more than 90 other organizations, this higher education community letter stresses the importance of free and open academic inquiry on our campuses.
Public Statement
More than 145 organizations signed on to this statement by AAC&U, PEN America, American Association of University Professors, and the American Historical Association.