|
|
Article: Academic Freedom and Tenure: between fiction and reality.(analysis of portrayals of academia in novels)
- Article from:
- Journal of Higher Education
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Ohio State University Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Perhaps no belief has been more central to academic life than that of academic freedom. In the twentieth century academic freedom became enshrined as the raison d'etre for the professorate. For many individuals, colleges and universities existed in large part to enable the search for truth by the faculty. Academic freedom codified the belief about the search for truth. Tenure was the structure that ensured the belief would not be violated.
No less a body than the United States Supreme Court has weighed in on the importance of academic freedom by stating, "Our Nation is deeply committed to safeguarding academic freedom, which is of transcendent value to all of us ...