Academic freedom is being threatened in colleges and universities across the United States, according to a new survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). The survey, entitled “The Academic Mind in 2022,” found that many professors are self-censoring and are afraid to speak out for fear of being cancelled. The survey, which polled nearly 1,500 professors, revealed that more than half (52%) of professors are afraid of losing their jobs or reputations if someone misunderstands something they said or did, takes it out of context, or posts something from their past online.
This fear of retribution is felt by a majority of conservative and moderate faculty members and a significant minority of liberal faculty members. Around one-third (34%) of all faculty members reported that they often feel they cannot express their opinions because of how students, colleagues or school administration might respond. Eleven percent of faculty members reported that they had either been disciplined or threatened with discipline by administrators for what they taught in the classroom.
Free speech on campus is essential to ensure that professors and students can ask tough questions and wrestle with difficult ideas. However, when professors are threatened and even punished for being controversial, it creates a chilling effect that stifles academic freedom. Lukianoff, President and CEO of FIRE, warns that this is a “not a sustainable environment for a place that is supposed to produce ideas, and it’s something that should have all Americans concerned.”
Academia’s reputation is at risk when professors avoid controversy. If everyone is too afraid to challenge the status quo, how can we trust academics to push boundaries and make discoveries? FIRE’s survey makes it clear that academic freedom is suffering, even in the most prestigious institutions, and poses a serious threat to public faith in academia.
»New survey suggests threat to academic freedom in UK«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯