Rule 3344-11-13 | Attachment A to Chapter 3344-11 of the Administrative Code -1940 statement of principles on academic freedom and tenure.
Editorial note: The following statement is an adapted from the 1940 "Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure" of the American Association of University Professors. It has been revised in the light of the "Interpretative Comments" appended to the "Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure" in 1970.
(A) The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.
(B) Although faculty are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing the subject, they should avoid persistently intruding material which has no relation to the subject.
(C) The college or university teacher is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When speaking or writing as a citizen, the teacher should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educational officer, the teacher should remember that the public may judge the profession and the institution by the teacher's utterances. Hence, the teacher should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that the teacher is not an institutional spokesperson. A faculty member's expression of opinion as a citizen cannot constitute grounds for discipline or dismissal unless it clearly demonstrates that the faculty member is unfit for the faculty position in question. Extramural utterances will rarely bear upon a faculty member's fitness for the position. Moreover, any final decision on discipline or dismissal should take into account the faculty member's entire record as a teacher and scholar.
(D) The protections of academic freedom and the obligations of academic responsibility apply not only to full-time faculty but also to all others whose responsibilities involve teaching or research, including part-time faculty and graduate assistants.
Last updated February 24, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Supplemental Information