Universities Grapple with Challenges to Freedom, Democracy
Nathan M Greenfield | 26 October 2024 | University World News
There were moments when the mood lifted among the 90 people attending the two-hour “Universities, Governments, and Democracy: International Challenges, Lessons Learned, and Future Strategy” conference hosted on 23 October by the Magna Charta Observatory (MCO), an international association of almost 1,000 universities in almost 100 countries, and PEN America.
One such moment came when Jeremy C Young, programme director at PEN America’s Freedom to Learn initiative, said cases brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against some of the more “egregious” laws restricting academic freedom and tenure, and outlawing the teaching of critical race theory – among other restrictions – have actually slowed their implementation in Florida, Oklahoma, Indiana and several other states…