Understanding the Attack on Higher Ed

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The intellectual arguments

• “The Value of Intellectual Diversity.” Social Philosophy and Policy 2021.
• “I’m a professor. Indiana’s progressive colleges stifle debate.” Opinion by Michael Hicks, Indianapolis Star.

The political arguments

• Senator Deery press release: With the passage of SB202, Indiana sends a “strong signal” of its commitment to “academic freedom, free expression, and intellectual diversity.”
• Senator Deery op-ed defending SB202. Featured on Based in Lafayette. 3/6/24
• Indiana Senator Spencer Deery (R, district 23) press release on SB 202.

Impacts of the attack on diversity/equity/inclusion

See our page of resources on the civil rights impacts of SB202.

Beyond Indiana

• Inside Higher Education. “University of Kentucky President proposes to strip faculty body’s power.” 3/28/24
• Associated Press “Texas ban on university diversity efforts provides a glimpse of the future across GOP-led states.” 2/17/24
• Chronicle of Higher Education. “Why faculty members are fleeing Florida.” 12/6/23
• New York Times. “In Florida’s hot political climate, some faculty have had enough.” 12/3/23
• Chronicle of Higher Education. “In these red states, professors are eyeing the exits.” 9/7/23
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A UW Madison professor of political science reflects on freedom of speech and diversity in their classroom. 5/31/23

AAUP documents

• AAUP statement on the growing trend of political interference in higher education, with links to many other resources. 1/2024
• Georgia AAUP press release on similar legislation in other states. 9/2023
• Texas AAUP/AFT press release on survey data from Texas after similar legislation was passed there. 9/6/2023
• AAUP “Preliminary report of the Special Committee on Academic Freedom and Florida.” 5/23/2023

Scholarship on political bias in academia

• “The myth of academic indoctrination.” Science. 2023
• “Political diversity in social and personality psychology.” Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2012
• “Why are professors liberal?” Theory and Society. 2012.
• “Intellectual diversity: What is it and why do we need it?” The Montana Professor. 2007
• The Kalven Report. Issued in 1967 by the University of Chicago, the report argues that universities should maintain neutrality on political issues. This article in the Chronicle (3/18/24) discusses the report’s growing popularity among university administrations.