SACSCOC Off-site Committee’s Response

Non-Compliance

The Institution’s Faculty Handbook Faculty Senate Edition states that it is “committed to the principle of academic freedom, and faculty are encouraged to explore fully their fields of interest.”  Further, the Association of Louisiana Faculty Senates and The Louisiana Statewide Colleagues Collaborative umbrella Policy for Academic Freedom and Tenure states that: 1) “The teachers and investigators are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results.  2) Teachers and investigators are entitled to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject.  3) The academic freedom of faculty members includes the freedom to express their views on matters to do with their institution, their governing board and their policies.”  The Institution’s statewide university system also includes a statement on academic freedom which affirms the right of “academic staff” and “teachers” to “explore fully” their fields of expertise.” The concept of academic freedom is reinforced in Policy Statement concerning tenured and tenure track faculty.

Although published policies espouse academic freedom, LSU recently accepted an out-of-court settlement in a high-profile case in which violation of academic freedom played a central role; and LSU remains on the AAUP censure list owing to multiple academic freedom violations. In addition the prior administration at LSU turned down a request from the AAUP to collaborate on remedial measures. In light of these issues, continued close monitoring of this standard would appear to be required.  Notably, the institution has new leadership, effective June 24, 2013, and states that it is now focused on compliance in protecting and safeguarding academic freedom.  The committee could not determine from the information provided what steps the Institution has taken (or will take) after the incidents noted above to assure going forward protection of academic freedom reflected in its policies.

LSU A&M’s Response

The SACSCOC Off-site Committee notes the following:

The Institution’s Faculty Handbook Faculty Senate Edition states that it is “committed to the principle of academic freedom, and faculty are encouraged to explore fully their fields of interest.”  Further, the Association of Louisiana Faculty Senates and The Louisiana Statewide Colleagues Collaborative umbrella Policy for Academic Freedom and Tenure…

The Institution’s statewide university system also includes a statement on academic freedom which affirms the right of “academic staff” and “teachers” to “explore fully” their fields of expertise.” The concept of academic freedom is reinforced in Policy Statement concerning tenured and tenure track faculty.

The Off-Site Committee however stated that

Although published policies espouse academic freedom, LSU recently accepted an out-of-court settlement in a high-profile case in which violation of academic freedom played a central role; and LSU remains on the AAUP censure list owing to multiple academic freedom violations.

Cited Examples

Louisiana State University and A&M College (LSU) recognizes that two events have raised questions concerning LSU’s commitment to academic freedom and lead to the July 2011 AAUP censure of LSU.

1. In 2009 Ivor van Heerden was not reappointed to his position as an Associate-Research Professor and deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center [1]. In 2010 van Heerden’s lawyers filed a wrongful termination suit. This three-year old federal court case was settled on Feb. 27, 2013 [2].
2. In the Spring semester of 2010 Dominique Homberger, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was administratively removed from teaching an introductory biology course after the initial exam assignment of grades was considered “extreme”. The AAUP, citing their 1997 statement on “The Assignment of Course Grades and Student Appeals”, concurred with the complaint that the dean’s action in suspending Professor Homberger from her teaching duties had “negative implications”.

Actions to Promote Academic Freedom

Although not the only concerns that LSU has resolved and that LSU will continue to address, the events that highlighted problems related to academic freedom took place in the increasingly distant past and under former administrations, some as long ago as the Hurricane Katrina period, when LSU faced extraordinary challenges.  It has now been 2.5 years since the AAUP document was published and all but one of the administrators has changed since the report was published. According to the AAUP website on censure,

Placing the name of an institution on this list does not mean that censure is visited either upon the whole of the institution or upon the faculty, but specifically upon its present administration. The term ‘administration’ includes the administrative officers and the governing board of the institution.

Since that time and since the beginning of the tenure of President and Chancellor F. King Alexander (July, 2013), no academic freedom issues have arisen. LSU is therefore taking steps to insure that academic freedom is fully realized at LSU.

The Off-site Committee states that “The committee could not determine from the information provided what steps the Institution has taken (or will take) after the incidents noted above.” These comments indicate that, to date, both the policy and the culture pertaining to academic freedom at LSU require enhancement. 

1. The LSU System Bylaws and Regulations includes statements of academic freedom [3] and academic freedom is addressed on the LSU Policy Statement on Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty (PS-36T) [4]. This latter document does not have an extensive statement on academic freedom.  However, it is the natural location for an enhanced statement on academic freedom. Policy relating to academic freedom has been vague and scattered; methods for fostering a culture of academic freedom remain unspecified.  A revision of the academic freedom statement embedded in underway.

2. LSU is vigorously working to remove LSU from the AAUP censure list, a listing that results from an investigation into academic freedom practices on the LSU campus.  At the recommendation of the faculty leadership, LSU Chancellor and LSU System President F. King Alexander will contact with AAUP officials to ascertain what might be done to end the opprobrium under which LSU suffers.

In addition to these specific actions, the faculty leadership and the administration have also considered mass-distribution or otherwise public statements affirming that LSU is taking a new approach to academic freedom and the intensification of the level of engagement with faculty in key decision-making processes (by way of recognizing that free information flow is key to a culture of academic freedom).  Faculty leadership and administrators have agreed that the principles of academic should be reaffirmed.