Amy Orr, professor of sociology at Linfield College, will discuss academic freedom in higher education during a faculty lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Fred Meyer Lounge in Riley Hall at Linfield.
Higher education serves the common good, and, since “the common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition” (AAUP, 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure), academic freedom in higher education is crucial. Yet, the status of academic freedom is precarious. While threats to academic freedom are not new, they appear to grow stronger with the passage of time (largely as a consequence of the increasing corporatization of higher education). Some threats are overt and tend to flare up at particular points in time, while others are of a more covert nature that slowly erode the foundations of academic freedom. This lecture explores several of these threats, as well as potential ways to combat the trends.
Orr is the George A. Westcott III Distinguished Professor of Sociology and has been at Linfield since 2001. Her primary research focus is educational inequality with a specific emphasis on racial, ethnic and gender differences in academic achievement.
This lecture is free and open to the public. The Linfield faculty lecture series offers one presentation each month. For more information, call 503-883-2409.
