Academic Freedom Alliance
The Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA) is a coalition of more than 200 scholars from across the United States dedicated to defending the rights of university and college faculty members to teach, research, and publish without fear of sanction. The AFA issues statements and provides legal funding in support of professors under fire for legally protected speech.[1]
The organization was founded by Keith Whittington, a professor of politics at Princeton, along with other founding members such as Harvard's Cornel West, Princeton's Robert George, Harvard Law School’s Jeannie Suk Gersen, and New York Law School professor and former ACLU President Nadine Strossen.[2][3]
Through a combination of legal defense, public statements, and private letters to universities, the AFA aims to both provide support to faculty members and apply a counterpressure against entities seeking to limit academic freedom.[4] It does not endorse the content of the speech it defends, but rather defends “members’ right to state what they believe to be true.”[5]
History
The Academic Freedom Alliance was founded in March of 2021 by a group of Princeton faculty together with 200 founding members across the United States.[6] As examples of the threat to academic freedom that prompted the non-profit’s formation, Whittington identified the 2020 reassignment of Jesse Goldberg at Auburn University for making remarks critical of police, and the forced leave taken by University of Southern California professor Greg Patton for using a Chinese term in a lecture that was said to sound like an English language racial slur.[7][8]
Since its founding, the AFA’s membership has grown to include faculty representing many of the nation’s top undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.[9][10] Currently, AFA membership is by invitation only, though it plans to eventually allow all U.S. faculty to apply.[11]
The AFA is funded by a combination of private donations and membership dues. Membership costs $50 per year for tenured professors and $35 per year for non-tenured faculty.[12]
Activities
The primary activity of the AFA is the issuing of statements of support and the provision of legal defense for scholars who come under fire for protected speech. Cases vary topically, a function of “the AFA’s defense of faculty members’ academic freedom [which] does not depend on viewpoint, nor endorse the content” of what is expressed.[13]
The organization’s legal activity often challenges university administrations, as in its early victories against the University of Rhode Island and the University of San Diego, which were investigating professors over controversial statements about transgender issues and China’s role in the coronavirus pandemic, respectively.[14] In certain circumstances, the AFA may also challenge external entities, as it did by challenging members of Congress who called for the resignation of Air Force Academy professor Lynne Chandler Garcia over her teaching of critical race theory.[15][16]
The AFA also hosts regular webinars open to the public on free speech issues.[17] In June 2021, the AFA launched The Academic Freedom Podcast, which features interviews with “a diverse array of scholars about the latest developments in the academic freedom movement.”[18]
Organizational Structure
The Academic Freedom Alliance is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The organization is governed by three committees: the Academic Committee, the Membership Committee, and the Legal Advisory Council.
The Academic Committee, chaired by Whittington, is responsible for approving the operations of the AFA, including statements on behalf of the organization and the final determination about acceptance of legal cases.[19] The nine members of the Academic Committee are faculty from Princeton University, the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Harvard University, the University of Southern California, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Texas School of Law.[20]
The Membership Committee nominates and votes on which faculty members to accept as members of the AFA.
The Legal Advisory Council, chaired by Thomas C. White, a Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, serves in an advisory capacity for the legal defense undertaken by the AFA. The Council’s membership includes an additional thirteen legal experts, such as Floyd Abrams and Paul Clement.[21]
References
- ↑ Yang, Wesley (March 8, 2021). "A New Group Promises to Protect Professors' Free Speech". The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Keith E. Whittington". The Trustees of Princeton University. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ↑ Italie, Hillel (March 8, 2021). "College Educators Form Alliance to Defend Free Expression". AP NEWS. Associated Press. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ "US Scholars Form Academic Freedom Alliance to Defend Free Expression". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. March 8, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ Academic Freedom Alliance. Academic Freedom Alliance https://academicfreedom.org/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ The Editorial Board (March 9, 2021). "More Defenders of Campus Speech". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ Italie, Hillel (March 8, 2021). "College Educators Form Alliance to Defend Free Expression". ABC news. ABC News Network. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ Pinker, Steven. "Sauce for the Gander: Academic Freedom Alliance Defends Air Force Academy PROFESSOR amid Controversy over Critical Race Theory - Academic Freedom Alliance". Twitter. Twitter.
- ↑ Grebe, Tripp (March 22, 2021). "New Group Combines Both Left- and Right-Leaning Scholars in Fight for Academic Freedom". The College Fix. The College Fix. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Members". Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ "FAQ: Who can join AFA?". Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ Italie, Hillel. "College Educators Form Alliance to Defend Free Expression". ABC news. ABC News Network. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ "About". Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ Whittington, Keith E. (May 5, 2021). "Opinion: Some Academic Freedom Victories". Reason.com. Reason.
- ↑ García, Lynne Chandler (July 8, 2021). "Opinion: I'm a professor at a U.S. military academy. Here's why I teach critical race theory". The Washington Post. WP Company. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Academic Freedom Alliance". Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ Whittington, Keith E. (June 28, 2021). "Scheduling Fall Talks on Academic Freedom". Reason.com. Reason.
- ↑ "The Academic Freedom Podcast". Spotify. Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ "About". Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ "Leadership". Academic Freedom Alliance.
- ↑ "Leadership". Academic Freedom Alliance.
External links
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