Casper Star-Tribune: Gov: UW academic freedom suffers
Researchers and academics in Wyoming need latitude to present their ideas and opinions without fear of political retaliation, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Friday.
Even lawmakers need to refrain from targeting UW programs and faculty members who espouse unpopular or controversial beliefs, he said.
“That’s hard,” Freudenthal said during a meeting with the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees. “The tradition has been that if you don’t like their book, we call for the faculty member to be fired.”
The comments came one day after the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee failed to endorse a portion of Freudenthal’s budget earmarked for UW’s Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources. The governor had recommended a $500,000 funding increase for the institute.
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