Academic Freedom Teaching Coalition
Threats to Academic Freedom
Ongoing attacks against higher education institutions across the United States demonstrate that academic freedom cannot be taken for granted. Government encroachment into higher education, which was previously thought to be relevant primarily in non-democratic contexts, is now urgently salient in the United States, too.
Public higher education is especially vulnerable to these threats. As well as educating a much larger number of students than private institutions, public institutions are more directly dependent on government financial support and host student populations that are more directly exposed to government interference.Â
A Teaching Coalition
The Academic Freedom Teaching Coalition assumes academic freedom cannot be reduced to legal rights but requires commitment to specific values and practices by higher education affiliates themselves.
Through intensive workshops and collaborative curriculum development, the Coalition will create a pilot course and other scalable educational resources on the theory and practice of academic freedom. First implemented at CCNY, these resources will be designed for adoption at public higher education institutions nationwide.
Global Perspectives on Academic Freedom
Representing diverse geographic and disciplinary backgrounds, the Academic Freedom Fellows are united by their experience navigating threats to scholarly independence and offering perspectives on academic freedom across different political systems.
By learning from scholars who defended intellectual freedom in repressive environments, students will gain a deeper understanding of academic institutions' fragility and resilience. This global perspective is crucial as American students increasingly face similar pressures.
The Moynihan Tradition
The Moynihan Center draws inspiration from Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's career bridging academia and government, positioning it as an ideal forum for developing intellectual responses to government attacks on academic freedom.
The Academic Freedom initiative brings together rigorous scholarship with practical strategies for defending democratic institutions, ensuring that the next generation of civic leaders possesses both the intellectual courage and analytical skills necessary to protect the principles of free inquiry that sustain democratic governance.
There is a more powerful connection than people think between the world of ideas and the world of practical politics.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan