In this month’s episode–Feet to the Fire, Dr Sage runs the risk of losing her funding by the head of her department, Provost Cunningham. While the are a variety of issues, one concern is to what extent can one stifle the quest for knowledge and understanding.
The episode takes place in 1894, but in a few short years, the American Association of University Professors will be established to deal with topics just like this. Obviously, there was already a concern for allowing honest quest for knowledge, giving professors a sense of autonomy to strive to learn.
What Is Censure?
The American Association of University Professors, founded in 1915, develops and advances principles and standards of sound academic practice governing the relationship between faculty and their institutions. The value of these principles and standards lies in their wide acceptance throughout the community of higher education. The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, issued jointly by the AAUP and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, has been endorsed by more than 240 learned societies and educational organizations, and hundreds of colleges and universities have incorporated its provisions in their faculty regulations or handbooks. Noting this wide acceptance, courts have often referred to AAUP principles and standards in addressing what is customary in the academic world.
from https://www.aaup.org