Under Siege: Teaching Bans, Academic Freedom, and the Future of Higher Education

 Academic freedom is a core feature of academia, encouraging open inquiry, among other ideals and protections towards promoting and enacting principles of a democratic society. Higher education and intellectualism have been under attack in the current climate, posing threats to academic freedom and leading toward a chilling effect within education. These efforts are being framed as measures to prevent the teaching of “divisive concepts,” which, in effect, are topics that name and seek to address societal inequities and to improve the greater human condition and have led to the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, book and teaching bans, and discipline or termination of individuals who engage in this work. The codifying of such efforts presents clear and immediate challenges to academic freedom, education, and society writ large. In this conversation, panelists will discuss anti-intellectualism and anti-DEI through a historical and contemporary lens. Panelists will also discuss how such efforts seek to disrupt progress gained by the enactment of DEI efforts. Finally, panelists will offer insights on navigating these challenges and their chilling effects within higher education and beyond.