Mary W. Gray, PhD, JD Chair, Board of Directors, AMIDEAST Professor of Mathematics and Statistics American University, Washington DC The Freedom to Teach and to Learn

Academic freedom The tradition of academic freedom From Socrates to the Baghdad House of Wisdom to the Baghdad House of Wisdom to Galileo and today to Galileo and today

For faculty Freedom of teaching and discussion Freedom to carry out research Freedom to express opinions Freedom from institutional censorship Free scientific inquiry The environment EvolutionPolitics Foreign affairs ImmigrationEconomics

And for students To learn to discover on their own, to foster entrepreneurship and creativity, students must be free to explore new ideas, new techniques, new directions, to involve themselves in the community

Public and private education In the United States as in Tunisia and other countries, both public and private institutions play a role in higher education. public and private institutions play a role in higher education. Through constitutional and other legal protection, freedom of speech is guaranteed. In the U.S., there are both federal and state provisions, Through constitutional and other legal protection, freedom of speech is guaranteed. In the U.S., there are both federal and state provisions, e.g, the 1 st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for freedom of speech. e.g, the 1 st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for freedom of speech. Constitutional limitations affect only the government and its agencies, but private universities have found that offering the same freedom of speech to their faculty and students is essential for a successful educational enterprise.

Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The right to education in the Universal Declaration Article 26 (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

University governance To be effective a system of higher education must involve those who will implement national priorities for scientific, economic and social progress from strategic planning through execution Government, administrators, faculty and students all have important roles to play In various aspects of the operation of higher education different constituencies – trustees, administrators, faculty - have primary responsibility, but working together is important Deciding on the course of instruction and faculty qualifications and roles, faculty must play the key role. In select of administrators and some budget matters, their function may be more consultative. To ensure that all sectors meet their responsibilities it is essential that all can think and speak freely but it is also crucial that each segment be accountable for its responsibilities

Types of institutions To serve the needs of a modern state and its people, many kinds of institutions of higher education are required and deserve careful planning and support. To make real progress, research is needed: in medicine, in science, in engineering in economics and other social sciences, in information technology and communication, in the humanities and arts. But not every institution must have cutting-edge research as its focus; such an emphasis is demanding of a great deal of resources, human and material. To provide trained citizens for many fields of endeavor, broad undergraduate educational institutions are needed with faculty less focused on creative research. Engineering, business, science and arts and humanities students deserve excellence in their education at this level. Specialized training in professional fields such as law and medicine must meet the needs of society. To provide supportive skills in technical aspects of information technology, communication, medicine and other fields, easily accessible, broadly distributed institutions are required.

Striking a balance A system of higher education must serve the needs of a nation, but at the same time advance knowledge not necessarily fettered by immediate applicability Academic freedom guarantees that faculty and students have the ability to exercise their judgment in striking an appropriate balance And you never know how useful something might be

Road to success Participatory institutional governance Diversity and inclusiveness Openness and transparency Freedom of inquiry and expression

References American Association of University Professors, 1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure Robert C. Post (2012) Democracy, Expertise, and Academic Freedom: A First Amendment Jurisprudence for the Modern State William G. Bowen (2010) Lessons Learned: Reflections of a University President Dennis John Gayle, Bhoendradatt Tewarie and Al Quinton White Jr. (2012) Governance in the Twenty-First-Century University: Approaches to Effective Leadership and Strategic Management Hans G. Schuetze, William Bruneau and Garnet Grosjean (2012) University Governance and Reform: Policy, Fads, and Experience in International Perspective (International and Development Education) Vincenzo Zeno-Zencovich (2012) Freedom of Expression: A Critical and Comparative analysis