Academic Freedom

What is Academic Freedom?

Many colleges and universities adapt the standards from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) on Academic Freedom.   The AAUP proposes that, "...institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition" (1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure)."  In 2013 they adopted the “Recommended Institutional Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure.” 
 

Profs. Cheyfitz and Jacobson

Ithaca College hosted a talk by Eric Cheyfitz, the Ernest I. White Professor of American Studies and Humane Letters at Cornell University, on “Academic Freedom and the American Studies Association Academic Boycott of Israel.” His presentation, which is free and open to the public, took place on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in Klingenstein Lounge, Egbert Hall.

Cheyfitz is a member of the American Studies Association (ASA), which voted last December to endorse a resolution supporting an academic and cultural boycott of Israel. Several academic organizations have called for such a boycott in protest of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and what they consider the involvement of Israeli universities in supporting government policy. The ASA is the nation’s oldest and largest association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and history.

A supporter of the boycott decision, Cheyfitz teaches courses on American literatures, American Indian literatures and federal Indian law. From 2008–11 he served as director of Cornell’s American Indian Program.  Read his Cornell University profile.

His talk is cosponsored by the Ithaca College Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity; the Departments of English and Politics; and the Park Center for Independent Media. For more information, contact Beth Harris, associate professor of politics, at [email protected].
Ithaca College hosted a talk by William A. Jacobson, a clinical professor of law and director of the Securities Law Clinic at the Cornell University Law School, on “The Case for Israel and Academic Freedom.” His presentation, which is free and open to the public, took place on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. in Clark Lounge, Egbert Hall.  If you missed it, you can watch it on YouTube.

Jacobson is the founder and publisher of two popular websites, Legal Insurrection and College Insurrection. Legal Insurrection is at the forefront of opposing the academic boycott of Israel and has filed a challenge to the tax exempt status of the American Studies Association, which voted in December to endorse a resolution supporting an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Prior to joining the Cornell law faculty in 2007, Jacobson had a highly successful civil litigation and arbitration practice, concentrating in investment, employment and business disputes in the securities industry. He is quoted frequently in national media on issues related to investment fraud and investor protection. He earned his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he served as senior editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and director of litigation for the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project. Read his Cornell University Profile

Jacobson’s talk is sponsored by the Jewish studies program and Hillel at Ithaca College. For more information, contact Hillel director Igor Khokhlov [email protected]. 

American Studies Association (ASA)

American Studies Association (homepage) "The American Studies Association is the nation’s oldest and largest association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and history"
  • ASA Members Vote To Endorse Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions (February 8, 2014) lede, "The members of the American Studies Association have endorsed the Association’s participation in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. In an election that attracted 1252 voters, the largest number of participants in the organization’s history, 66.05% of voters endorsed the resolution, while 30.5% of voters voted no and 3.43% abstained. The election was a response to the ASA National Council’s announcement on December 4 that it supported the academic boycott and, in an unprecedented action to ensure a democratic process, asked its membership for their approval. Please see the ASA website for a collection of supporting documents. "
Documents from the ASA homepage (as of February 14, 2014):
  • Letter from ASA President to Association Members
  • Council Resolution on the Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions
  • Council Statement on the Resolution
  • What Does the Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions Mean for the ASA?
  • Frequently Asked Questions about the Academic Boycott (PDF)
  • Sample Letter to Administrators (PDF)
  • Please note that only association members may post comments here.  Others may follow the American Studies Association on Facebook

  • Press Release: Rights Groups Call on Universities to Protect Open Debate on Palestine/Israel

  • AAUP Opposes Anti-Boycott Legislation in Maryland and New York
  • Middle East Studies Association Opposes Anti-Boycott Legislation in Maryland
  • ASA Condemns Attempts by NY State Legislature to Suppress Boycotts of Israel as Unlawful Infringement on Free Speech
  • Victory in Albany: New York State Assembly Withdraws Bill to Limit Boycotts of Israeli Academic Institutions
  • Thanks to Jewish Voice for Peace, all of the major documents and statements related to the fight against the anti-boycott bill in Albany are now all in one place. Click here to see what’s posted.
  • Chill on Speech: New York Times Editorial against NY Anti-Boycott Bill
  • New Yorkers Fight to Protect First Amendment Rights and Academic Freedom
  • Chronicle of Higher Education: The Sound of Silencing in American Academe
  • Letter of Support to the ASA from the Arab American Studies Association
  • Statement of Support for the American Studies Association by Palestinian and Other Arab-American Scholars and Writers
  • Letter: Middle East Studies Association to Indiana University President, Expressing Concerns about Academic Freedom at IU
  • Open Letter to University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler: Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions
  • Letter: CCR, PSLS Responds to Lawsuit Threat Against ASA, Calling It “Baseless”
  • CCR, PSLS Say Lawsuit Threat Against ASA is Legal Bullying
  • Indiana University Faculty Request Your Support
  • ASA Turpie Award Winners in Opposition to Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions Resolution

What is BDS?

What is the BDS movement?  BDS is an acronym for: Boycott, Divestment &Sanctions.;  

Here is the description from their website:
  • BDS Movement: Freedom Justice Equality. From the "Learn" tab, "The global movement for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights was initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005, and is coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), established in 2007. BDS is a strategy that allows people of conscience to play an effective role in the Palestinian struggle for justice."
  • BDS Movement: Academic Boycott  This tab provides a history of PACBI; they refer to www.PACBI.org for more information.

Journal of Academic Freedom v. 4 2013

Journal of Academic Freedom (AAUP) Readers Respond Authors Respond Editor’s Statement

Legal Implications

Guide to state and federal legislation from Jewish Voice for Peace
  • Academic freedom: proposed bills 
New York State Federal U.S. Department of State
  • Department Of State. The Office of Website Management, B. of P. A. (2014). Israel and The Occupied Territories (Report). Department Of State. The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs. The Modern Language Association's resolution addresses the U.S. Department of State.
Israeli Law against BDS

Selected Reading

General Readings on Academic Freedom:
  • Chronicle of Higher Education:  articles on "Academic Freedom"
  • Inside Higher Education:  articles tagged "Academic Freedom"
Articles in the library's databases (on EBSCO's platform -  use Netpass to access):
  • Search Strategy: TX ( "american studies association" or ASA ) AND TX boycott 
  • Search Strategy: SU academic freedom 
By Profs. Cheyfitz and Jacobson: Additional Readings:

Selected Library Books

  • Academic freedom and the inclusive university. (S. E. Kahn & D. J. Pavlich, Eds.).  (2000). Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. 
  • American Association of University Professors. (2006). Policy documents & reports. Washington, D.C: American Association of University Professors.  11th ed. ordered 7/21/15
  • American Library Association. (2010). Intellectual freedom manual (8th ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.  See: Online supplement.
  • DelFattore, J. (2010). Knowledge in the making academic freedom and free speech in America’s schools and universities. New Haven: Yale University Press. 
  • Finkin, M. W. (2009). For the common good principles of American academic freedom. New Haven [Conn.]: Yale University Press.  
  • Fish, S. E. (1994). There’s no such thing as free speech, and it’s a good thing, too. New York: Oxford University Press. 
  • Ginsberg, B. (2011). The fall of the faculty: the rise of the all-administrative university and why it matters. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Heins, M. (2013). Priests of our democracy: the Supreme Court, academic freedom, and the anti-communist purge. New York: New York University Press.
  • Hess, D. E. (2009). Controversy in the classroom: the democratic power of discussion. New York ; London: Routledge.
  • Horowitz, D. (2007). Indoctrination U the left’s war against academic freedom. New York: Encounter Books. 
  • Kors, A. C. (1998). The shadow university: the betrayal of liberty on America’s campuses. New York: Free Press.
  • Laughlin, R. B. (2008). The crime of reason and the closing of the scientific mind. New York: Basic Books. 
  • Lukianoff, G. (2012). Unlearning Liberty Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate. New York: Encounter Books. 
  • Nelson, C.(2010). No university is an island saving academic freedom. New York: New York University Press. 
  • O’Neil, R. M. (1997). Free speech in the college community. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
  • O’Neil, R. M. (2008). Academic freedom in the wired world: political extremism, corporate power, and the university. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
  • Rothman, S. (2010). The still divided academy how competing visions of power, politics, and diversity complicate the mission of higher education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 
  • Schrecker, E. (2010). The lost soul of higher education corporatization, the assault on academic freedom, and the end of the American university. New York: New Press. 
  • Sides, C. H. (Ed.). (2006). Freedom of information in a post 9-11 world. Amityville, N.Y: Baywood Pub. Co. 
  • Tobin, G. A. (2005). The uncivil university. San Francisco, CA: Institute for Jewish & Community Research.
  • Zwerling, P. (Ed.). (2011). The CIA on campus essays on academic freedom and the national security state. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. 

Contact Us

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Cathy Michael

Communications Librarian
(607) 274-1293

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Ithaca College: Academic Freedom

Ithaca College Policy Manual

Volume IV: Faculty Handbook
4.4 The Faculty's Obligations, Rights, Academic Freedom, and Code of Ethics

Volume V: Staff, 5.9 Librarian Employment Policies and Procedures
5.9.8 Academic Freedom

Volume VII: Students: 7.1.2. Student Conduct Code
7.1.2.2 Statement of Rights and Freedoms
 

College Presidents Respond

  • Milestone Reached: Over 100 University Presidents in Opposition of ASA Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions. (January 1, 2014). Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. This lists out the Colleges and links to the statements.  According to Schmidt's article in the NYT, The Conference, "has sent the presidents of all universities with ties to the A.S.A. a letter similarly urging them to dissociate their institutions from the A.S.A. and deny faculty members funds to participate in the group or travel to its events."
  • Rochon, Thomas. (2014, January 9). President Rochon Statement on American Studies Association Boycott. Intercom.
    "In mid-December, the American Studies Association voted to boycott Israel’s higher-education institutions to protest the country’s treatment of Palestinians. I have subsequently been asked by some members of the Ithaca College community to articulate my position on the boycott. Ithaca College has a history of standing for academic freedom.  We also have a history of supporting the underlying practices that make academic freedom effective:  freedom of scholars to conduct their research, to associate with each other to share and refine their ideas, and to publish the findings and conclusions of their scholarly work.  Academic boycotts, whatever their motivation may be, infringe on these central tenets of higher learning.  Several scholarly associations, including the American Studies Association, have recently resolved to boycott Israeli universities.  Although Ithaca College has no institutional relationship with those scholarly associations and therefore no venue for communication directly with them, the principles for which we stand lead us to conclude that such boycotts are antithetical to the constructive exchange of ideas in the global communities of scholarship. If you have any further questions, please email me at [email protected]." 
  • Eisgruber, President Christopher. President Eisgruber’s Statement on American Studies Association Boycott of Israel. (2013, December 23).  Office of the President, Princeton University.
  • Jones, Jr., President James F. (n.d.). To the immediate attention of the President of the American Studies Association. President’s Letters to the Community.  Link broke; unofficial version found on the web.
  • Roth, M. S. (2013, December 19). Boycott of Israeli universities: A repugnant attack on academic freedom. Los Angeles Times. "Michael S. Roth is president of Wesleyan University."
  • Sexton, President John, & McLaughlin, Provost David. (2013, December 20). Letter...Expressing Opposition to ASA Boycott Vote. 
  • Skorton, President David, & Fuchs, Provost Kent. (2013, December 20). Association of American Universities’ Statement on Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions. Cornell University / University Statements. 
  • White, Chancellor Timothy P. (2014, January 3). CSU Denounces Resolution Calling for Academic Boycott. 

Organizations

References to statements on the issue are provided, if found:

Background Sources

  • Schmidt, Peter. (2014, January 5). Backlash Against Israel Boycott Throws Academic Association on Defensive. The New York Times. This article presents a good overview of the issue.
  • Clemmitt, M. (2005, October 7). Academic freedom. CQ Researcher, 15, 833-856. 
  • Academic Freedom.  Opposing Viewpoints.

Guide Credits

This guide was created with input and guidance from Prof. Harris , Associate Professor, Department of Politics, Maura Stephens, Associate Director, Park Center for Independent Media, Department of Journalism, and Prof. Rebecca Lesses, Associate Professor and Jewish Studies Coordinator. Suggestions for additional resources are welcome: [email protected]

Freedom to think, write and to speak

Related to Academic Freedom, often used at colleges and universities, are the following concepts:  intellectual freedom, censorship, freedom of information, freedom of speech, and freedom to teach.

ACLU: Academic Freedom

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