I. SCOPE: This policy applies to all full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty members of National Polytechnic College of Science (the "College").
II. POLICY: Academic freedom is essential to colleges and universities if they are to make their proper contribution to the common good. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. It is that which justifies academic freedom, not the interest of the individual faculty member or even the interest of a particular college or university.
Academic freedom is the freedom to engage in research, scholarship, or other creative work in order to expand knowledge, to publish research findings, to teach and to learn in an atmosphere of unfettered free inquiry and exposition. Recognizing that free search for truth and the expression of diverse opinions are essential to a democratic society, both the College and its Board of Trustees encourage and protect academic freedom.
The primary justification for academic freedom is service to society's need for independent criticism and advice, for a continual flow of new ideas. Members of the academic community, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize this fundamental responsibility. The rights of the faculty member and the student to academic freedom, however, carry with them duties and responsibilities.
A. The faculty member is entitled to full freedom to engage in research, scholarship, and creative work and to publish or produce the results, subject to responsible performance of these and other academic duties. The faculty member is likewise entitled to freedom in teaching and discussing the subject matter. Yet, as in research, the concomitant of this freedom must be a commitment to accuracy and integrity. Controversy is a normal aspect of free academic inquiry and teaching and it is proper to incorporate both the knowledge and the beliefs of the faculty member into that which is taught; however, the freedom to teach must be joined by a constant effort to distinguish between knowledge and belief.
B. The faculty member is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When the faculty member speaks or writes as a citizen, s/he should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but the faculty member's special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educator, s/he should remember that the public may judge the profession and institution by his or her utterances. Hence, the faculty member should be at all times accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that s/he is not speaking for the institution or its Board of Trustees.
C. Academic freedom applies to freedom of thought and expression in learning, publication, oral presentation, and extramural activities. Academic freedom is fundamental for the protection of both the rights of the instructor in teaching and of the student in learning.
D. Academic freedom is also essential to protect the rights of the faculty to discuss freely and debate all ideas, however controversial or unpopular, within the College or before the broader community. The exercise of academic freedom cannot serve as cause for discipline, dismissal, or non-reappointment.
E. Political activities on campus shall be governed by the College's Policy and Procedures, which shall be in accordance with the requirements of applicable law.
III. RESPONSIBILITY: The Vice President of Academics is principally responsible for the implementation of this policy. Every faculty member, however, is responsible for the implementation of and compliance with this policy.