On academic freedom and the university...

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Acceptance by an institution of the principle of academic freedom implies that teachers in that institution are free to investigate any subject, no matter how much it may be hedged about by taboos; that they are free to make known the results of their investigation and their reflection by word of mouth or in writing, before their classes or elsewhere; that they are free to differ with their colleagues and to present the grounds of their difference in their classes or elsewhere; that they are free as citizens to take part in any public controversy outside the institution; that no repressive measures, direct or indirect, will be applied to them no matter how unpopular they may become through opposing powerful interests or jostling established prejudices, and no matter how mistaken they may appear to be in the eyes of members and friends of the institution; that their continuance in office will be in all instances governed by the prevailing rules of tenure and that their academic advancement will be dependent on their scientific competence and will be in no wise affected by the popularity or unpopularity of their opinions or utterances; that students in the institution are free, in so far as the requirements of the several curricula permit, to inquire into any subject that interests them, to organize discussion groups or study clubs for the consideration of any subject, and to invite to address them ally speaker they may choose; that censorship of student publications shall be based on precisely the same grounds and shall extend no further than that exercised by the United States Postal authorities.

Members of the Class of 1936, as citizens of this University you have belonged to an institution which conscientiously tries, at whatever cost of comfort and occasional misunderstanding, to practice the principles of democracy. You know what it means to enjoy liberty of belief and utterance. You have experienced the dignity of independence. As citizens of the larger democracy, of which the University is a small though significant part, I dare believe you will continue to be faithful to these principles and vigilant in their defense.

The most precious of all these prerogatives is freedom of the mind, and it entails the gravest of all responsibilities. To the free exercise of the mind this University is irrevocably committed. Any student or teacher may here investigate any subject that attracts him and may report anywhere, in or out of the classroom, the conclusions he has reached. Any student or teacher may voice his opinions on any question, no matter how unpopular they may be, or even how foolish. He will not be restrained or penalized. On the contrary, the University will defend against anyone who attacks him his rights of free inquiry and of free speech. This is what academic freedom means. At the University of Buffalo it has never been invaded.

The university is and must be an institution without intellectual boundaries. It is and must be wholly free to prosecute the search for truth. Any aspect of nature, any work of man any accepted idea, any respectable prejudice, any institution of society must be open to its inspection, must be subject to evaluation by it, must be for it a fair field for new discovery. There must be no restraints upon the publication of its findings and interpretations, whether these happen to be popular or unpopular. Those who pursue the truth under the sponsorship of the university cannot walk in jeopardy of their careers, should they chance to offend a board or a board member, or an administrative official, or even an important segment of the general public. If such a condition is imposed upon them, the institution responsible therefore is not yet, or is no longer, a university.

A university is an institution in which the advancement of knowledge is deliberately and officially fostered, an institution which is committed not only to the higher forms of instruction but also to research, and which rests its reputation on the quality of its scholarly output. In all its departments it is devoted to inquiry and to intellectual creation. Hence, all of its educational activities, on whatever level they may be directed, are informed by the spirit of research, are made to square with the standards of intellectual integrity set by the research scholar.

I think it is fair to say that a substantial part of the general public has never approved of academic freedom and is often greatly worried about it. Many people appear to believe that it is just a high sounding name invented to cover up subversive activities and attitudes.