ACADEMIC FREEDOM: ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES, 1963-1985 (GERMANY, UNITED STATES)

This study examines the issues and controversies associated with the concept of academic freedom in higher education from the early German universities to the middle of the 1980s. An analysis of the history of academic freedom reveals a struggle between those wanting to strengthen the concept and those intent on weakening it.; The American conception of academic freedom can be traced to Leyden, Halle, Gottingen and other German universities. This concept was brought to America during the 19th century by American scholars returning from studying Germany. The German concept of academic freedom was in conflict with the American tradition of the non-resident trustee and the old collegiate ideal of the preservation and transmittal of certain accepted truths. While some principles of academic freedom were codified after World War I, the poorly defined image of the professor and numerous social and political forces not only influenced the development of the concept but in some instances undermined it.; Another issue discussed in this study is the threat students have posed to academic freedom. While students have the rights which all citizens enjoy, as well as special rights as members of the academic community, they are obligated to respect and preserve academic freedom. Those involved in the campus demonstrations of the Vietnam era and those who adhere to the concept of disruptive interference, have not always respected or worked to preserve academic freedom.; An attempt is made to examine tenure and its relationship to academic freedom. Because of economic factors in society and effecting higher education, tenure is undergoing changes, some claim being destroyed. Although only a few call for the total elimination of tenure, the numerous calls for its alteration can be seen as a signal that many no longer see tenure as essential for the preservation of academic freedom.; Finally, this study examines recent court decisions and governmental and industrial partnerships which are both protecting and undermining the academic freedom of professors and institutional autonomy. These court cases range from affirmative action to decisions protecting professors' tenure and constititional rights. Funding from industry and governments, while supplying universities with needed funds are usurping the authority to decide which projects to pursue and how to use scientific innovations. This endangers academic freedom and the very ideal of the university.