In his role, President Rougeau communicates both publicly and privately on matters core to the College's identity as an academic institution. Below, you will find recent correspondence on the topic of faculty speech and academic freedom.
October 25, 2023
Individual professors do not speak for the College as an institution. However, our professors are all free members of society and people, like you and me, who have been shaped by their experiences and beliefs. They are entitled to the same freedom of speech and personal advocacy as all others in this nation. Furthermore, academic freedom is a foundational principle at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø and in higher education writ large. Even in cases where we disagree, we believe that freedom is paramount to healthy academic inquiry, and to the foundation of our democratic society.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø was proud to adopt as official policy the academic freedom principles formulated by the American Association of University Professors, which assert "the right of faculty members to speak or write as citizens, free from institutional censorship or discipline." This applies to scholars across the spectrum of viewpoints and politics.
Constructive dialogue is core to our collective work of educating young people in the liberal arts tradition, and it is a value held by all members of the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø community. It is my hope that this dialogue will continue to bring diverse perspectives together, respectfully, on our campus.