In order to promote the conditions whereby both the student and the instructor
may have the freedom to search for the truth and its free expression, SKC has adopted the following principles expressed by the American Association of University of Professors:
- The instructor and student are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing the subject. Still, he/she should be careful to separate his or her personal beliefs from scholarship.
- The instructor and student have the freedom to research diverse issues, topics, and theories that have conflicting perspectives but must acknowledge all derivative sources of work. The teacher should nurture the free exchange of ideas in an academic climate that values a diverse open-minded culture of expression and fosters creativity, initiative, truth seeking, and collaborative problem solving.
- The college instructor is an SKC citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When an employee of the College speaks or writes as a citizen, he/she should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but his/her special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educational officer, he/she should remember that the public might judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence, they should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not an institutional spokesperson.
History:
Adopted: Policy has been in place with no recorded changes after Sept. 2003
Revised: 6/12/13; 12/18/2020