Academic Freedom in the Faculty Handbook

Academic Freedom

Wake Forest also has explicit protections for academic freedom. Faculty are the group around whom the concept of academic freedom is historically built, and so there is also a statement on academic freedom in the Faculty Handbook:

The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the performance of other academic duties, but research for pecuniary return shall be based upon a written understanding with the University.

The teacher is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing the relevant subject, but the teacher should be careful not to introduce into teaching controversial matter which has no relation to the subject.The teacher in Wake Forest University is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and a representative of an educational institution. When a teacher speaks or writes as a citizen, the teacher will be free from censorship or discipline by the University, but the teacher’s special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and as an educational representative, a teacher should remember that the public may judge the profession and the University by the teacher’s utterances. Hence the teacher 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 the teacher is not a spokesman for the University. (Faculty Handbook, 2023, pp. 19–20)

Balance in the Community

As stated above, these rights come in the context of a responsibility to maintain a balance between freedom of expression and the orderly conduct of our shared community life.Free speech and peaceable assembly are basic requirements of the University as a center for free inquiry and the search for knowledge and insight. These rights involve a concurrent obligation on the part of all members of the University to maintain on the campus an atmosphere conducive to scholarly pursuits and to respect the rights of all individuals. It is a violation of University policy for a member of the faculty, staff, or student body to prevent the orderly conduct of a University function or activity, such as lectures, meetings, interviews, ceremonies, and public events, or to block the legitimate activities of any person on the campus or in any University building or facility. Activities which exceed these guidelines, if persisted in after due warning, will subject the participants to disciplinary and, if need be, legal action. The University cannot be content merely to tolerate inquiry and discussion; it has an obligation to protect them. (Faculty Handbook, 2023, p. 36)