“Academic freedom is essential to the function of education and to the pursuit of scholarship in universities. Therefore, Brown University, mindful of its historic commitment to scholarship and to the free exchange of ideas, affirms that faculty members and students alike shall enjoy full freedom in their teaching, learning and research.”

- Excerpt from Brown Statement on Academic Freedom for Faculty and Students, 1966

Throughout the Spring 2024 semester, Brown's academic community will convene a series of events to discuss the principle of academic freedom and the broader debates it continues to inspire on college campuses and beyond. Brown's faculty have taken a leadership role in developing this important programming focused on opening discussions of academic freedom and freedom of expression, as well as modeling constructive dialogue on difficult and divisive issues. 

Through a series of lectures and workshops, we will consider how to cultivate an environment in which we, as a teaching and learning community, can discuss issues that prompt vigorous debate from different viewpoints in constructive and engaging ways.

For colleges and universities across the country, challenges to academic freedom have intensified, and issues of freedom of expression on campus are at the forefront. The issues that will be addressed through this event series are broader than the debates during the Fall 2023 semester about free expression that have reverberated nationally since the escalation of violence and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, but they are particularly salient in this moment. 

As Brown has done throughout its history, with projects such as “Reaffirming University Values” and the “Race &... in America” lecture series,  we will develop opportunities as an educational community to identify impactful ways to discuss academic freedom, open inquiry, and freedom of expression, and encourage the open debate required to build understanding and for new knowledge to flourish.