Dear colleagues,
As we return to campus for the start of winter term, we want to express our deep gratitude for the care you each bring to your work every day.
At a moment when higher education faces heightened scrutiny, the dedication and perseverance you bring to teaching, research, and supporting our students steadies this institution and carries it forward.
Collectively, we must not lose sight of what makes this work essential. The transformative power of learning and discovery has long enriched individual lives and strengthened society. Our work is a deeply human endeavor, shaped by curiosity, creativity, and responsibility.
These are the roots that nourish and sustain the University of Oregon even in periods of uncertainty and change.
Academic Freedom: Our Animating Principle
At the heart of this special purpose is our shared commitment to advance knowledge, to pursue the truth wherever it leads, and to explore ideas and engage in public dialogue without fear of reprisals or outside interference, even if the subject is controversial and provokes disagreements.
As we begin this new year, we want to underscore that academic freedom is an animating and non-negotiable principle at the University of Oregon. We stand together in upholding and defending it.
In practice, this means that faculty members teaching and pursuing research within their areas of scholarly expertise are protected, as articulated in university policy and approved by the UO Senate. This protection affords us both the freedom to pursue insights and ideas without constraint, and the responsibility to explore all serious perspectives in our efforts to deepen our understanding of the world.
When you bring your professional knowledge to bear in the classroom, the studio, or the lab — whether addressing historical events, scientific principles, social movements, or the issues of the day — you are exercising the core rights that define academic work.
Supporting Safe Learning Environments
The free pursuit of understanding is diverse and unending, collaborative and contested, and it, of course, encompasses critique and disagreement.
Our campus policies are designed to protect the safety and well-being of our entire community within that reality, and we are committed to applying them consistently and fairly.
Our policies apply equally to all faculty members, regardless of stance or viewpoint, and exist to support the freedom to teach and conduct research without fear of retaliation or outside pressure.
Indeed, it is often through differences of opinion and serious debate that we deepen understanding and model for students what it means to be a community committed to the authentic and free exchange of ideas. We have included some resources below that are designed to help us put our shared commitment to academic freedom into practice.
Resources and Policies
- Classrooms are not public spaces, which means students may not record classroom activities without the explicit permission of the instructor, except as approved for disability-related accommodations. This is clearly spelled out in the Student Conduct Code.
- If you experience threats, harassment, or behavior that compromises your safety or that of your students, support is available through the UO Police Department, the Behavioral Evaluation and Threat Assessment Team, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access and the Office of General Counsel. Students who report something they have experienced to you can also be referred to UOPD, the Office of the Dean of Students, and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access.
- The Office of the Provost’s Teaching Engagement Program provides pedagogical guidance and resources to faculty for approaching controversial subjects, including its Teaching in Turbulent Contexts Resource Guide. - Academic freedom is defined in Article 5 of the university’s collective bargaining agreement with United Academics.
- The Office of the Provost maintains a webpage that brings together relevant UO policies and resources for both faculty and staff, related to academic freedom.
If you have any questions about these policies or are uncertain about your rights or the rights of your students, we encourage you to consult with your department head or the Office of the Provost.
Our Shared Commitment
We know that a climate of uncertainty can itself chill the free exchange of ideas. For that reason, we want to be clear: This institution stands behind its commitment to protect the freedom to teach, research, and serve without fear. We are honored to support this pursuit and grateful to walk this path together, alongside all of you.
Sincerely,
Christopher P. Long
Provost and Senior Vice President
Dyana Mason
Senate President