Briefs and Reports

The four components of academic freedom are academic freedom in teaching, academic freedom in research, intramural academic freedom, and extramural academic freedom.

Equity and academic freedom are essential to the healthy and vibrant functioning of a post-secondary education institution. It is through free thought, investigation, and the development and dissemination of ideas that society advances and progress is made.

CAUT Policy Statements on Academic Freedom and Equity

International The 1997 UNESCO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel defines academic freedom as: 26. Higher-education teaching personnel, like all other groups and individuals, should enjoy those internationally recognized civil, political, social and cultural rights applicable to all citizens.

Valentina Azarova The case of Dr. Valentina Azarova gained international attention when the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law abruptly ended negotiations to hire her as the Director of the International Human Rights Program.

Academic Freedom Inquiries and Reports

What is Academic Freedom? Academic freedom involves the right to teach, conduct research and publish, and engage in intra-mural and extra-mural speech free of orthodoxy or threat of institutional reprisal and discrimination.

The Legal Basis for Special Equity Programs

Associations have a critical role to play to support the hiring of Indigenous and equity-deserving academic staff and to ensure that their talents, capacities and contributions are valued, recognized, and respected once hired.