September 29, 2003

New UC statement on academic freedom finalized

After extensive consultations with the faculty and endorsement by the Academic Senate, the University of California has finalized a new statement on academic freedom for its faculty.

The new statement, supported by a 45-3 vote of the Assembly of the Academic Senate on July 30, was issued to the university community today (Sept. 29). Following the Senate's vote, the statement went through a period of formal campus review before being issued today.

Known as Academic Personnel Policy (APM) 010, the statement establishes that faculty have primary responsibility for articulating the professional standards by which academic freedom may be sustained. The policy is intended to be read in conjunction with APM 015, the Faculty Code of Conduct, which includes a delineation of faculty responsibilities to their students. The statement does not change the authority of the UC Board of Regents to govern the university, nor the responsibility of the administration to perform its appropriate role in governance.

The full statement, along with a background paper by UC President Richard C. Atkinson, is available at: http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/coordrev/policy/9-29-03.html.

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