Universities are not political prizes.

Thorp, H Holden · Science · 2021

Where this comes from

Abstract

Institutions of higher education are valued by democracies because of their civic goal-to foster in the next generation of citizens a regard for individual freedoms and rights, principled debates, and tolerance for opposing opinions. The leaders of these institutions are expected to demonstrate their commitment to these values by supporting academic freedom-the ability of faculty, staff, and students to challenge wisdom, explore new ideas, and advance knowledge through free inquiry. But lately, some university administrators have been responding to the ever more polarized political climate by giving lip service to academic freedom while playing politics-either ignoring or playing both sides of conflicts that threaten to undermine the very tradition of free and diverse thinking and discourse.