February 3, 2020
Dear Colleagues:
I send this email to provide a report on an important topic that was discussed at the meeting of the Board of Trustees on Friday. But before I do so, I want to offer a few words about the Board’s decision to extend my contract.
As I said at the meeting on Friday morning, it is an honor to serve as your president. In the past two-and-a-half years, I feel that we have made measurable and meaningful progress in fulfilling our mission. And I am gratified and enthused about the prospect of continuing this important work with you, because I feel so optimistic about our bright future working together.
There was another important agenda item at the Board meeting.
Last Fall, I appointed an ad hoc committee to review our current policies that support and protect freedom of expression on our campus. Over the past five months, the members of this Freedom of Expression Committee met multiple times to assess how our University could elevate the importance of these principles, which we believe are essential to the mission of our University.
On Friday, the Board received a report from the Chair of the Committee, Dean Paaige Turner, and the Board voted to approve the Committee’s recommendation that our University adopt an updated unifying framework statement.
The Committee’s research revealed that the brief statement about freedom of expression included in our Faculty and Professional Personnel Handbook had not been updated since 1968. The members of the Committee unanimously endorsed updating this statement to incorporate the essence of what is known as the “Chicago Statement,” a statement on the importance of freedom of expression that originated at the University of Chicago in 2015. The “Chicago Statement” has been adopted by more than 70 colleges and universities nationwide. The version our Board approved has been modified to reflect the values of our University within a statement that upholds the importance of free and open debate in the tradition of the First Amendment.
You can review
our new unifying framework statement online. This statement replaces Section 1, Statement on Rights and Responsibilities, in our Faculty and Professional Personnel Handbook. The statement will also be incorporated into all employee handbooks, as well as our Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
The Trustees also endorsed the recommendation that our University create a campus engagement campaign to educate and celebrate freedom of expression. The Committee recommended that we develop a multi-faceted approach to this campaign, including a variety of specialized educational sessions, the development of a training curriculum, and a set of communication skill competencies to better facilitate difficult conversations related to these principles.
With the Board’s support, we will continue to evaluate the Committee’s proposed plan, and I will provide periodic updates about the progress of the new campus engagement campaign.
I am grateful to the individuals who served on our Freedom of Expression Committee, including Dean Turner and Dr. Marsha McGriff, Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, who served as vice chair. The members of this committee met multiple times in preparing their recommendations for me and the Board. They participated in First Amendment-focused educational sessions, researched examples of unifying framework statements, and reviewed dozens of relevant University policies. Their investment in this process informed our decision to ensure that we are all accountable for protecting the free expression rights of our students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors.
Thank you in advance for your support of these changes as we work to enhance our commitment to freedom of expression and academic freedom.
