Section III: Comprehensive Standards (Faculty)

3.7.4.  The institution ensures adequate procedures for safeguarding and protecting academic freedom.

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Compliance.

NARRATIVE/JUSTIFICATION FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Northeast Alabama Community College demonstrates compliance in safeguarding and protecting academic freedom. The college strongly affirms its commitment to the principles and practices of academic freedom. The faculty of Northeast adopted the following statement in regard to academic freedom, published in the NACC Faculty & Staff Handbook:

Northeast Alabama Community College is committed to two supreme values: knowledge and the freedom to seek truth. From this commitment instructors derive both their liberty and their responsibility. Their liberty is to seek knowledge and truth and to communicate them without unreasonable social or political pressures. Their responsibility is to be proficient in their profession and to grant others the same respect and freedom which they claim for themselves. An instructor’s academic freedom includes full freedom to discuss the area of special competence without irrelevant controversial material; with this freedom goes the responsibility to perform competently and to respect the integrity of others.

This statement is in compliance with State Board of Education Policy 719.01, Academic Freedom.

The college grievance procedures safeguard the academic freedom of faculty members, providing a mechanism by which individuals may seek resolution of grievances of any kind. The Northeast Alabama Community College Institutional Grievance Procedure guarantees every employee the right to register complaints without fear of repercussion and delineates the steps by which the employee may proceed. This procedure is published in the Faculty & Staff Handbook.

According to a survey of faculty in Spring 2003, most faculty members express satisfaction with these statements and safeguards. The survey instructions referred the respondent to the NACC policy, “Academic Freedom” on page III-B-6 of the Faculty & Staff Handbook. The first statement was “This policy is adequate to ensure academic freedom for faculty members at NACC.” On a scale of one (“Strongly Disagree”) to five (“Strongly Agree”), the average response was 4.62, and 91% of respondents selected either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree.”

The second statement on the survey, with wording taken from the NACC policy, was “I feel free to discuss my area of special competence and to communicate without unreasonable social or academic pressure.” The average response was 4.74 on the 5-point scale, and 93% selected either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree.” The overwhelming majority of respondents indicate that the college statements and practices are adequate to safeguard and protect academic freedom.

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