Introduction to APM-011 and Academic Freedom

LAUC Academic Freedom Education Initiative

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021

Noon – 1:30 Pacific time

Please Note: This Session will be recorded

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Introduction to APM-011 and Academic Freedom

LAUC Academic Freedom Education Initiative

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021

Noon – 1:30 Pacific time

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Introductions

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Robert May, UC Davis

Roger Smith, UC San Diego

Martin Brennan, UCLA

Dawn Childress, UCLA

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History and background of APM-011

A quick summary of how this policy within

the Academic Personnel Manual (APM),

“Academic Freedom, Protection of Professional Standards, and Responsibilities of Non-Faculty Academic Appointees”

was formed in 2018

and formally issued in February 2019

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Working Group on Privileges and Responsibilities of Non-Faculty Academic Appointees

• George Blumenthal, UCSC Chancellor, Working Group co-chair
• Robert May, Academic Council Chair, Working Group co-chair
• Susan Carlson, Vice Provost, Academic Personnel and Programs
• Gail Hershatter, Representative, UCAF
• Eric Rauchway, Chair, UCAF
• Roger Smith, President, LAUC
• Katherine Soule, President, UCANR Academic Assembly Council
• Gayle Binion, UC Santa Barbara
• Brian Soucek, UC Davis
• Robert Post, Yale University (Formerly UC Berkeley, author of APM-010, committee consultant)

The Working Group consulted with many relevant groups including:

• Academic Senate
• Council of University Librarians
• Vice Chancellors for Research
• Vice Provosts for Academic Personnel/Academic Affairs
• Academic Personnel Directors
• Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC)
• UCANR Academic Assembly Council Executive Board
• UC Davis Academic Federation
• UC-AFT Librarians
• UAW Postdoctoral Scholars and Academic Researchers,

Defining Academic Freedom: APM-011, APM-010, & APM-015

APM-011 defines Academic Freedom by referring to APM-010 (Academic Freedom), which defines AF as:

“The principles of academic freedom protect freedom of inquiry and research, freedom of teaching, and freedom of expression and publication.”

APM-010 should be read in conjunction with APM-015 (Faculty Code of Conduct)

This definition of Academic Freedom is derived from AAUP’s definition

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Defining Academic Freedom: APM-011, APM-010, & APM-015

freedom of inquiry and research

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freedom of teaching

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freedom of expression and publication

Defining Academic Freedom: AAUP

https://www.aaup.org/report/1940-statement-principles-academic-freedom-and-tenure

“Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties [...]

Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject. [...].

College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. [...]”

Defining Academic Freedom

Academic Freedom is distinct from, but related to, similar concepts:

• Freedom of Speech
• Intellectual Freedom

Academic Freedom can be seen as a distinct notion - connected to professional standards, and protected by the university

How does APM-011 protect my Academic Freedom?

APM-011 introduces dispute resolution processes for Librarians and ~60 other academic title classifications at UC. It allows librarians to seek resolution to AF disputes utilizing procedures within established campus entities (typically the campus Academic Senate) using these two procedures:

• AF violations related to research, teaching, and service under APM-010 and APM-015 definitions and criteria
• Violations in other areas, related to discipline-specific professional standards, under APM-140-32 definitions and criteria

What does this mean for librarians?

The tenets of Academic Freedom reinforce some things we already assumed were true:

• Research and service activities are at the discretion of the librarian
• When teaching: your right to speak the truth as you see it, within your professional understanding and knowledge, is protected under AF
• Collection Development
• When engaging in service activities to the profession and on campus, you have a right and responsibility to speak freely, within your professional understanding and knowledge

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When does APM-140-32 come into play?

This is a different review process that covers this unique area within APM-011:

“work that contributes to or supports the fundamental mission of the University, but that is not teaching, research, scholarship, or the public dissemination of knowledge, they must be free to pursue this work according to applicable, acknowledged, national, professional standards.”

A librarian will be recruited to contribute to any formal review of such disputes

What is LAUC’s role in this process?

• Preparing a LAUC statement on Applicable National Professional Standards and Responsibilities.
• (Potentially) Identifying LAUC division-level ambassadors for confidential AF consultation and adjudication support (good analogy: Health Care facilitators)
• (Potentially) LAUC as “keeper of the caselaw” on AF

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Upcoming events and activities in this series

@ the LAUC Virtual Assembly

• Research findings: Academic Librarians’ lived experiences with Academic Freedom -- Featuring Danya Leebaw and Alexis Logsdon, authors of “Power And Status (And Lack Thereof) In Academe: Academic Freedom And Academic Librarians”
• Tools for Respecting Academic Freedom in our day-to-day work
• Exploring Academic Freedom challenges through scenarios

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LAUC Academic Freedom Task Force

• Develop and organize LAUC AF Education Initiative events and activities
• Current members:
• Martin Brennan, UCLA
• Dawn Childress, UCLA
• Gary Colmenar, UC Santa Barbara
• Anna Chen, UCLA Clark Library

Next steps

Looking for volunteers to help us accomplish future goals:

• Gathering Campus-specific pathfinders for adjudicating Academic Freedom disputes
• Collaborative preparation of a formal LAUC statement on Applicable National Professional Standards and Responsibilities.
• Defining scope and qualification criteria for LAUC division-level ambassadors to provide confidential AF consultation and adjudication support to LAUC members
• Creating portable educational materials on APM-011, for the benefit of the thousands of UC colleagues in the 60 other academic titles covered by APM-011.

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Getting involved

There are a few ways to get involved:

• Join the LAUC AF Task Force
• Volunteer to work on one of the specific activities/goals
• Volunteer to be a LAUC division-level ambassador for AF consultation and adjudication support

To get involved, visit the LAUC AF Education Initiative website: [link forthcoming!]

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Q&A