The Review: A Harvard dean attacks academic freedom

Laurence Bobo's proposed abrogation of scholarly speech is not popular. ADVERTISEMENT [The Review Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. When Laurence D. Bobo, Harvard’s dean of social science, took to the campus paper to insist that “[Faculty Speech Must Have Limits]( he presumably anticipated a backlash. The ideas he expressed there are so contrary to established doctrines of academic freedom as to be really rather eccentric. “Is it outside the bounds of acceptable professional conduct for a faculty member to excoriate university leadership, faculty, staff, or students with the intent to arouse external intervention into university business?” Bobo asked. “And does the broad publication of such views cross a line into sanctionable violations of professional conduct?” His answer: “Yes it is and yes it does.” For almost all academic-freedom experts, the answer is, of course, “No it isn’t and no it does not.” In fact, as Keith E. Whittington explains in our pages, faculty members have worked very hard to establish “that, unlike employees at most organizations, they have the right to publicly criticize their employer and their administration.” This is a key pillar of the modern understanding of academic freedom, established in theory (if not always in practice) by 1915. Bobo’s essay is notable for how it differs from other recent calls for the partial abrogation of academic freedom. Those calls have taken two tacks. The first seeks to disqualify some speech on grounds that it is motivated by bigotry rather than — and in contradiction of — genuine expertise. That is the [argument]( that Michael Bérubé and Jennifer Ruth made in It’s Not Free Speech: Race, Democracy, and the Future of Academic Freedom (Hopkins, 2022). The second seeks to limit academic freedom when its exercise is thought to interfere with the ability of all students to participate in an educational community. That is the [argument]( made by the Hamline University administrators who punished an adjunct professor of art history for showing a medieval devotional image of Muhammad, an action Hamline’s associate vice president for inclusive excellence called “undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful, and Islamophobic.” In theory, the two rationales for limiting academic freedom are entirely distinct; in practice, they are often invoked together. Bobo’s ideas have nothing to do with these. He has in mind the damage wrought by “the appallingly rough manner in which prominent affiliates, including one former university president” — he means Larry Summers — have “publicly denounced Harvard’s students and present leadership.” His motivation is institutionalist; he wants to protect Harvard from negative outside attention. “A faculty member’s right to free speech,” he writes, “does not amount to a blank check to engage in behaviors that plainly incite external actors — be it the media, alumni, donors, federal agencies, or the government — to intervene in Harvard’s affairs.” SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. SPONSOR CONTENT | Washington State University [Facing the Climate Challenge]( As Whittington points out, Harvard’s own “[University-Wide Statement on Rights and Responsibilities]( appears to directly contravene Bobo’s proposed limitations: “The university must affirm, assure and protect,” the statement reads, “the rights of its members to organize and join political associations, convene and conduct public meetings, publicly demonstrate and picket in orderly fashion, advocate and publicize opinion by print, sign, and voice.” For now, Bobo’s essay has elicited near-unanimous [condemnation]( from scholars across the political and ideological spectrum — including those most committed to and those most skeptical of pro-Palestinian protest encampments. Perhaps this was his plan all along: to heal dissensus by drawing all ire to himself alone. Read Keith E. Whittington’s “[A Harvard Dean’s Assault on Faculty Speech]( and Laurence D. Bobo’s “[Faculty Speech Must Have Limits]( ADVERTISEMENT UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Library and Institutional Success Program | July 2024] The Chronicle is partnering with Ithaka S+R to host a brand new [professional development program for librarians]( in July. This innovative two-week program will help library leaders understand the many roles they might take on, boost the success of the campus library, and better align with their institution’s goals. Learn more about our seminars and workshops, and [register today]( The Latest THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Will Republicans Save the Humanities?]( By Jenna Silber Storey and Benjamin Storey [STORY IMAGE]( Colleges in red and purple states have been going on a hiring spree. ADVERTISEMENT [Will Republicans Save the Humanities?]( THE REVIEW | OPINION [A Harvard Dean’s Assault on Faculty Speech]( By Keith E. Whittington [STORY IMAGE]( This would set the university back a hundred years. THE REVIEW | OPINION [How Colleges Can Prepare for a Chaotic Fall]( By Eboo Patel [STORY IMAGE]( Hint: It’s not all about free speech. Recommended - “Yes, we gave him the job because of his green suit. It was far greener than the afternoon required.” So says the London Review of Books’s founding editor, Mary-Kay Wilmers, about Andrew O’Hagan, as quoted in Anna Russell’s New Yorker [profile]( of him. - “We are not atoms in a mindless universe, he argues, but agents in a metaphysically alert one, embodied and embedded in meanings we jointly create.” Also in The New Yorker, Adam Gopnik [reviews]( Charles Taylor’s new book, Cosmic Connections. And in our pages, check out Matthew Hunter’s [skeptical take](. - “Catharism became a memory; as a living idea, it had ceased to exist.” In Compact, Robert S. Huddleston [writes]( about what it takes to kill an idea. - “I know that it doesn’t mean going against his spirit to say that he loved danger.” That’s Georges Altman [writing about]( the historian Marc Bloch, who was murdered by the Nazis eighty years ago last week. (From 1945.) Write to me at len.gutkin@chronicle.com. Yours, Len Gutkin FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Adapting to AI - The Chronicle Store]( [Adapting to AI]( Artificial intelligence has taken higher ed by storm, and the implications extend far beyond the classroom. [Order this report]( to improve your understanding of AI technologies, and explore how other colleges are adapting their policies and guidelines. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Search jobs on The Chronicle job board]( [Find Your Next Role Today]( Whether you are actively or passively searching for your next career opportunity, The Chronicle is here to support you throughout your job search. Get started now by [exploring 30,000+ openings]( or [signing up for job alerts](. 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