Statement on Free Expression and Institutional Speech
Dear members of the Northwestern University community,
Freedom of expression and academic freedom are core values of our University. The ability of members of our community to formulate and express their ideas is at the heart of our role as producers and disseminators of knowledge. It is an important reason why our institution, along with other universities, is an essential component of our democracy. In recent years, as our politics have become more polarized, some people have questioned what the boundaries of free expression should be in an academic community.
On Feb. 19, we appointed the President’s Advisory Committee on Free Expression and Institutional Speech to prepare a statement rooted in Northwestern values. This committee was composed of 11 eminent faculty members from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds and chaired by Professor Erin Delaney of the Pritzker School of Law. Over a six-month period, they consulted with a wide variety of University constituents including faculty, students and trustees. On Aug. 9, the Committee submitted its statement to us. The Statement on Free Expression and Institutional Speech is the product of unanimous agreement among the members.
Over the past week, we have shared the statement with the leadership of the Faculty Senate, our deans and members of the University’s Board of Trustees. There is broad consensus from these groups around the principles set forth by the Advisory Committee. We also shared the statement with all Northwestern faculty asking for feedback, and we appreciate their input. To see the statement, click here.
We would like to draw your attention to two aspects of the statement. The first is the unique role that free expression plays in an academic community in service of dialogue and learning. To quote from the statement, “Dialogue is not domination or denigration. … Speech that impedes or is intended to prevent others’ participation hinders the vitality of our intellectual community. … Northwestern cannot condone speech that threatens, harasses or defames other individuals, or hinders the rights of others to learn.”
The Advisory Committee also opined on official statements made on behalf of the University or its constituent parts. Because of the potential for coercion, they state the norm that while all members of our community have the right to speak publicly on controversial topics, they should do so as individuals and not as official representatives of their units.
Today, we pledge to use the Advisory Committee’s work to guide our actions. We agree with our faculty advisory committee and commit ourselves to not making official statements on behalf of the institution on public or geopolitical matters except those related to the operation of the University. In addition to the potential for coercion, our decision also is based upon the concern that our speech on these matters should not be interpreted to represent or take precedence over the multiplicity of viewpoints that are essential to our University. We look forward to continuing discussions with all of our constituents on how best to implement the values and prescriptions of the Advisory Committee.
We close by thanking the members of the Advisory Committee for the care, thought and wisdom they have exercised in creating this eloquent statement of Northwestern values.