Demetri Morgan co-authors op-ed for Inside Higher Education
Citing current threats to academic freedom, the co-authors implore university and college boards to preserve institutional independence.
In an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, Marsal School Associate Professor Demetri Morgan and co-author Raquel M. Rall, associate professor and associate dean of strategic initiatives in the School of Education at the University of California, Riverside, write:
“Boards have to champion the preservation of institutional independence and recognize that inaction under the guise of shared governance is still inaction. They cannot afford to be passive observers, expecting others to shoulder the burden of defending the institution’s core values while they remain detached.”
Naming threats to curricula, co-curricular life, research programs, medical schools, and free speech, Morgan and Rall call on governing boards of colleges and universities to work with presidents to answer the following questions:
What principles defined our institutions before the current political climate?
Do we still stand for these principles? If so, how can we hold fast to them now?
What price are we willing to pay to uphold those foundational values?
If we abandon our values now, what remains of our institutional identity?
“Governing boards must lead with transparency, strategy and courage,” write Morgan and Rall. “Higher education’s survival—and its ability to serve the public good—depends on it.”
