The principle of academic freedom evolved years ago. It sheltered
serious scholars from the whims and avarice of the shifting politicians
and their politics. Now it was made better use of. We administrators
use it as a tool to circumvent trouble. Nearly all institutions, battling
the emergence of women and other minorities into the collegiate arena,
use it to maintain the status quo and rightfully so, Henry decided.
Academic freedom was used to shield the many ways we avoid compliance
with both federal and state laws. If we opened ourself to public scrutiny,
we'd never get anything done.
Universities are, were and should be a law unto themselves.
They can tolerate only those who are willing to make sometimes
painful compromises. Those who could not, and were compelled to
fight for so-called human rights and the original meaning of
Academic Freedom, soon left or were not reappointed.
Randy Fecesi was, despite his foibles, a prime commodity.
He was funded. This made him much sought after since colleges
were looking to capture research dollars. There was good reason
for this, Henry noted. Because it paid better, colleges and
universities had stopped putting the emphasis on teaching
and instead, looked for research potential.
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