The Chronicle: A Labor Union Plants a Flag for Academic Freedom in an Era of Fewer Tenured Positions
One of academe’s largest labor unions, the American Federation of Teachers, released today its first comprehensive statement on academic freedom— a fresh indication that the worries of today’s academics run deeper than salaries and benefits.
The statement, called “Academic Freedom in the 21st-Century College and University,” is an attempt to frame the issues of academic freedom for an era when the system of tenure— once the bedrock principle of scholarly free exchange— is breaking down. According to the union, 70 percent of university instructors work off the tenure track.
Hence, the statement’s rhetoric aims to shore up the standing of all university instructors, tenured or not, by emphasizing their status as professionals.
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