Friday, July 3, 2015

Scott Walker's test of academic freedom - William G. Bowen, Eugene M. Tobin; Chicago Tribune

In our increasingly partisan and polarized climate, it is harder and harder to achieve the balance needed for shared governance, particularly when the university is buffeted by budget cuts and political agendas. We do not believe, however, that efforts to change governance to keep up with the times should move universities toward “divided” governance, focusing primarily on identifying which issues “belong” to the faculty and which to the regents, administration, students, legislature or executive branch. The transcendent importance of the Wisconsin Idea is the constant reminder that all operations in a university system bear upon one another and rely upon respect for robust academic freedom, and that public higher education exists to serve the needs of the people. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-scott-walker-tenure-university-wisconsin-perspec-0623-20150622-story.html