Academic Freedom Committee

The Academic Freedom Committee is a long-standing, pro-active committee of the Executive Council.

MISSION:

The committee’s mission is three-fold

1. Educational.

  • Educate members about the state of academic freedom – past and present -- nationally and at CUNY.
  • Demonstrate the importance of academic freedom in a contemporary university characterized by growing centralization, corporatization, assaults on faculty governance and reliance on contingent labor.
  • Promote discussion of key issues about academic freedom through PSC print and digital media and face-to-face meetings and forums.

2. Proactively identify issues that threaten academic freedom and, as appropriate, provide advice and/or research to PSC Executive Council on how to respond to such threats.

3. Recommend to the PSC Executive Council actions to be taken to further affiliate campaigns on issues of academic freedom. Help promote national initiatives and campaigns (e.g. the work of the AFT and AAUP in response to the so called “academic bill of rights; the work of the AAUP to build institutional protections for the academic freedom of adjuncts and graduate employees).

Recent Committee Posts

  • Tony Kushner at John Jay -- Both Giving and Receiving

    Tony Kushner came Friday to John Jay's commencement both to give and to receive.

    The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright was awarded the honorary degree that was almost denied to him a month ago by the CUNY Board of Trustees. In turn, he poured himself into the day's event – giving speeches at both the morning and afternoon ceremonies and shaking the hands of all 3,000 members of the Class of 2011 as they exited the stage.

  • CUNY Trustees Reversal: Tony Kushner to Receive Honorary Degree

    At its monthly meeting on Monday, May 2nd, the CUNY Board of Trustees denied authorization to John Jay College to grant an honorary degree to Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner at its spring commencement. After a firestorm of protest, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, on Monday, May 9th, reversed the Board's initial decision and voted to grant Kushner an honorary degree.

  • Academic Freedom at Issue in FOIA Requests

    The fight over union rights in the Midwest has put professors in the crosshairs – not only as union members, but also as scholars.

  • FOIA, Academic Freedom and the Use of University Email and Computer Resources

    Recent requests under freedom of information laws in Wisconsin and Michigan for emails of university professors have raised questions about academic freedom, the proper use of FOIA requests and the use of faculty and staff email accounts at public universities.

  • Kristofer Petersen-Overton Gets His Job Back

    We are delighted to announce that Brooklyn College has reversed its decision and approved the hiring of Kristofer Petersen-Overton for the course in Middle East Politics for this spring. Congratulations to Mr. Petersen-Overton, who calmly stood his ground, and to the Brooklyn College Political Science Department, who stood with him, and to the hundreds of PSC members and scholars across the country who protested the violation of academic freedom.

  • PSC Statement: Peterson-Overton and Political Meddling in Academic Decisions

    Statement by Barbara Bowen, PSC President, on the decision by the Brooklyn College administration to withdraw a teaching assignment from Kristofer Petersen-Overton:

    "Outside political interference in academic decisions about faculty appointments undermines the integrity of higher education. Ultimately, it is the students and society at large who suffer when university administrators inappropriately bend to the will of politicians...."

  • Academic Freedom

    Academic Freedom is a right crucial to the university.

Member Info

Chair

Steve Leberstein

Members

Aaron Barlow
Lenore Beaky
Bob Cermele
Bill Friedheim
Tony Gronowicz
Steve London
Gerry Markowitz
John Mineka
Marcia Newfield
Prya Parmar
Shirley Rausher
Paul Washington
Irwin Yellowitz

View full member info
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