Prelims

Half Title

Academic Freedom

Title Page

Academic Freedom: Autonomy, Challenges and Conformation

Edited by

Robert Ceglie

Queens University of Charlotte, USA

and

Sherwood Thompson

Eastern Kentucky University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2021

Editorial matter and selection © 2021 Sherwood Thompson, Robert Cegile. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited. Individual chapters © 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83909-883-3 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83909-882-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83909-884-0 (Epub)

Dedication

So often we misinterpret the essence of what academic freedom is and those misinterpretations have led to ideological perspectives that higher education serves as a bastion for brainwashing students into becoming a clone of the professor, faculty not producing good student learning outcomes, and/or faculty serving as an obstacles to administrators doing good management within the institution. As a long-term faculty member and administrator, I have seen academic freedom as a way for what good shared governance really looks like. A way of thinking how we can create a continuous improvement model that increases the quality of learning and keep faculty as a core element of what higher education has been and should always value. That understood value has taken a beating in recent history, and it will take all of us to reestablish why higher education is truly valuable. To make this happen, it will take all of us continuously increasing our understanding that higher education is about learning and great teaching (in and out of the classroom) is the direct correlation to that outcome. Thus, a continuous assessment model is key to that as an outcome. What we have learned and how we get better is truly the driver of good academic freedom and ensuring that this is continually seen as imperative for great quality and quantity of educational attainment. Having faculty to be the purveyor of outstanding curriculum and pedagogy are still key to our continuous improvement but having faculty who values diversity and cultural competence and understand that we have to bring more people around the table (employers, students, faculty outside your discipline, etc.) are also critical to that improvement and understanding.

The editors and contributors of this book are adding their individual and collective knowledge to this endeavor. Their voices are key to our collective modern views of academic freedom and a powerful way for the readers of this work to form a more complete understanding of academic freedom. One voice you will hear in this work is a voice that I will always remember but will not hear again, Dr Sherwood Thompson. Dr Thompson who is the co-editor of this work has been a close colleague and a close friend of mine for many years. We lost him early in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed us from giving him his proper respect in words of thanks and remembrance. This book, as a part of his last work, is a way for us to do that.

I met Dr Thompson in 1999 when he a was a staff member at the University of Georgia. I was keenly aware of his dedication to good student outcomes and his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many years later, I got the chance to renew our acquaintance and build a wonderful friendship. Indeed, I also had the pleasure to sign his contract for employment at Eastern Kentucky University. From the moment I signed that contract to Sherwood’s passing, he was a machine! He pushed all of us to think better and consider better choices as academicians. He made a national and international reputation for developing conversations about research and new knowledge about the role that people of color played inside the academy. He created a platform for young Black men to go into the teaching profession and created forums that developed Black administrators. Indeed, he did much to inform us of our responsibilities if we were gifted enough to be a part of this profession. I am so proud that I got the privilege to be a part of many of his endeavors. Sherwood became a prolific scholar and produced more in a short time that many faculty don’t do in a lifetime. He would say often that he was blessed and that could be clearly seen by his work, his children, and by meeting and marrying his wonderful bride Dr Doris Thompson. My friend we are blessed by knowing you and we will miss you, your wisdom, and your smile. Thank you for leaving us with your positive legacy and directions whereby we can establish ours. I lift a glass of Merlot to you my friend.

Dr Aaron Thompson

President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Contents

About the Editors

Robert Ceglie is an Associate Professor of Education at Queens University of Charlotte. His primary interests are science and math education. His research focuses on underrepresentation of women and minorities and the achievement gaps in science and math. He has published works related to STEM education and is an editorial reviewer for several scholarly journals. He serves at the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for the Advancement of Educational Research International.

Sherwood Thompson was a Professor and interim Chief Diversity Officer at Eastern Kentucky University. He attained distinction through productive career, directing campus-wide diversity programs for several universities. He served on several editorial boards and exceled in building global citizenship awareness and international programs. He served as the Executive Director of the Association for the Advancement of Educational Research International.

About the Contributors

Dixie Abernathy is Assistant Professor of Education at Queens University of Charlotte and Director of the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program. A 31-year veteran educator, she has served as a public-school classroom teacher and administrator and, in 1992, was recognized as the North Carolina Teacher of the year. Her research interests include school violence prevention, school leadership efficacy, and student engagement in online learning.

Antija Allen is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Faculty Fellow, and Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) Cohort Champion at Pellissippi State Community College. She is certified in Online Teaching and owns Allen Ivy Prep Consulting. She facilitates workshops on student engagement and earned her EdD in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University.

Ginger C. Black is an Assistant Professor in the Cato School of Education at Queens University. Additionally, she serves as the Director of the Cato Teaching Fellows and works to facilitate opportunities for students to serve, lead, and become outstanding educators. She was a classroom teacher in North Carolina prior to beginning her career at Queens University. She has 15 years of classroom experience which enables her to genuinely relate to the students she is teaching in the School of Education.

Kate Borowske serves as the Instructional Design Librarian at Southwest ­Minnesota State University. Her current role combines three roles: library, academic technology, and teaching and learning, so she finds herself multitasking often. She loves balancing these roles and providing support to the students and faculty throughout the university. One of the most rewarding parts of her job is researching new techniques in education to motivate students.

Jennifer Collins is the Director of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. Her research interests include the impact of short-term study abroad experiences on preservice teachers understanding of the world around them and how rural educators can frame instruction in place-based and culturally responsive ways. She is passionate about mitigating the achievement gap for marginalized students and leads experiences for rural students that expose them to broader and more diverse schooling contexts.

Zachary Hopper is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. His research interests include philosophy of education and bioethics. His dissertation will focus on the ethical issues presented by students with cognitive enhancements.

Bev-Freda L. Jackson is an Adjunct Professorial Lecturer at American University in the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology in the School of Public Affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English from Gettysburg College and a master’s from American University in Political Science. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University’s Department of Political Science with concentrations in Black politics, American government, and public administration.

Jason L. James, Jr is an Associate Professor in the Doctor of Business Administration Program and serves as the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Diversity & Inclusion Designee at Wilmington University. His practice, research, and teaching interests focus on organizational behavior, diversity-equity-inclusion, and personal and professional mastery.

Anthony G. James is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Science and Social Work, Director of the Family Science Program, and Interim Vice President for institutional diversity at Miami University. His research and teaching interests focus on, among other things, youth development, Black families, and truth and reconciliation.

Janaka B. Lewis is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is the author of several book chapters and articles on nineteenth-century African American women’s writing and material culture, three children’s books, and Freedom Narratives of African American Women (McFarland, 2017). Her current scholarship is on representations of black girlhood in American literature and film.

Philliph Masila Mutisya is EdD Professor of Education, North Carolina Central University, Curriculum Instruction Department School of Education (SOE), and Coordinator of EdTech Program. He has more than 33 years of experience in higher education-instructional training and development in education, curriculum development and professional development for faculty and education professionals-K-20. He is the Lead Founder of Diaspora University Kenya.

Nelson N. Ngoh is Professor of Science Education, majored in Biological Sciences in Cameroon, who obtained master’s and PhD in Science Education at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. He later taught Science Education (University of Yaounde), Human Biology (College of New Rochelle, New York), and Teaching Science Pedagogy now (University of Bridgeport, USA).

Eleni Oikonomidoy is a Professor of Multicultural Education at University of Nevada, Reno. Her research interests are newcomer immigrant and refugee student academic and social integration and critical cosmopolitanism in education. She is affiliated with the master’s and doctoral programs in equity and diversity in education.

James E. Osler, II, is an artist, eduscientist, entrepreneur, researcher, statistician, teacher, and technologist. He is a Professor in the School of Education at North Carolina Central University. He has authored of many influential refereed journal articles, books, and papers. His research agenda consists of areas which include applied educational science and inventive instructional design as well as several other academic areas.

Patrice D. Petroff is Professor of Education at Queens University of Charlotte, who has dedicated her life to educating children and the teachers who play such a critical role in the lives of so many. Her personal and professional agenda is to create school cultures that provide exemplary learning experiences for all students.

Suzanne Rice is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, where she teaches courses in the foundations of education and ethics. Her most recent publications include the edited books (with A.G. Ruddying) Educational Dimensions of School Lunch: Critical Perspectives and The Educational Significance of Human and Non-Human Animal Interactions.

Andrew Ross is Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. He is the author or editor of more than 20 books, including Stone Men: The Palestinians Who Built Israel, Creditocracy and the Case for Debt Refusal, Bird on Fire, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Fast Boat to China, No-Collar, and The Celebration Chronicles.

Amy W. Thornburg is the Associate Dean and Professor in the Cato School of Education at Queens University of Charlotte. She is also the Coordinator of the Elementary Education Program and oversees Accreditation. She teaches literacy and social studies courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs and supervises student teachers. Her areas of expertise include student motivation, working with at-risk students, professional development, balanced literacy instruction, and teacher development and retention.

Dwight C. Watson is the Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. He previously served as provost at Southwest Minnesota State University. His primary teaching focus was literacy development for young and adolescent readers. His scholarship has focused on applied research connected to the literacy and language acquisition of students of color and urban learners. His current scholarship is on diversifying the academic workforce and leadership development. His professional experience also includes teaching in Pre-K-12 classrooms.

Larry D. Williams is an Associate Professor of Sociology at NC Central University in North Carolina. He holds a PhD from Clark Atlanta University and an MSW from the University of Georgia. His primary duties include teaching, providing strategic and operational leadership in administering the MSW program, and developing partnerships with community-based organizations.

List of Contributors

Acknowledgments

Dr Robert Ceglie would like to thank his family, Nicole, Robbie, and Jenny for their support. He would also like to recognize Dr Dixie Abernathy and Dr Amy W. Thornburg for their assistance and leadership to assist in the completion of this work. Thank you to those at Emerald who were flexible in the final stages of the editing process.

Dr Sherwood Thompson would like to thank his family for their support throughout the editing process. In addition, he would like to thank the Association for the Advancement of Educational Research International (AAERI) members who worked to support this effort. Thank you to the chapter authors who worked tirelessly to complete this book to its current form.

Introduction

Academic Freedom; Autonomy, Challenges and Conformation has one main purpose which is to echo the voices of faculty who have encountered challenges related to academic freedom within their own personal and professional careers. As you read the following 13 chapters, you will encounter authentic accounts of ways that academic freedom and the first amendment have helped and, in some cases, hindered the authors academic profession, scholarship, and teaching. Our contributors recollected occasions when they or their colleagues experienced a challenge to their ability to exchange ideas and concepts freely in the classroom, to explore and disseminate new knowledge, and to speak professionally and as a private citizen on topics on their expertise without being under duress. As you read these accounts, you will be captivated by the range of experiences that our authors have encountered.

Dixie Abernathy opens the text with a case study which explores some of the most important legal challenges of academic freedom as she explores how several high-profile cases have influenced current academic freedom.

Antija Allen, Jason L. James, Jr, and Anthony G. James follow with an exploration of ways that college faculty are challenged when dealing with the types of discussions which typically arise in their own classrooms and offer practical applications for ways that faculty can support their own and their student’s voices.

Amy W. Thornburg and Jennifer Collins specifically identify the impact of academic freedom on college teacher preparation programs. They explore their understandings as teacher educators through their experience on a study abroad/professional development trip.

Eleni Oikonomidoy examines the experiences of foreign-born college faculty and their response to their challenges regarding academic freedom in the US institutions. The chapter offers suggestions for ways that institutions of higher education can eliminate some of the power structures which impede this population of faculty.

Ginger C. Black and Patrice D. Petroff tackle the subtle influence that limits of academic freedom have in online learning environments. They provide several areas that college faculty must remain cognizant of as they engage in online learning.

Dwight C. Watson and Kate Borowske investigate the impact that academic freedom limits have on faculty as they navigate the selection of textbooks for their courses. They conclude with a range of suggestions that colleges and universities can employ to support their faculty and students.

Robert Ceglie provides a view of the impact of limits on academic freedom within science disciplines. Using major historical events in science as the background of this chapter, he offers perspectives on ways that science and science education have been impacted by the harmful influence of limits of academic freedom.

Nelson N. Ngoh sheds light on academic freedom from an international perspective. In this chapter, he explores the influence of limits of academic freedom on students and faculty attending schools in Cameroon. Using personal and historical experiences, he reminds us of the benefits that academic freedom has on educators.

Zachary Hopper and Suzanne Rice collaborate on an exploration of the influence that John Dewey’s works have on the application of academic freedom. Using selected works of Dewey, they provide an interesting perspective on how these works support current views of academic freedom.

Andrew Ross offers a global exploration of academic freedom and its influence on its application to government and education policies. Using his personal experiences as a backdrop, he demonstrates ways that limits of academic freedom have on our rights.

Philliph Masila Mutisya, James E. Osler, II, and Larry D. Williams examine how the current status of the professorship has been negatively influenced by restrictions of academic freedom. This chapter concludes with recommendations for ways that the institutions of higher education can use a leadership model to support learning.

Janaka B. Lewis follows and offers a discussion of academic freedom using a social justice lens. She illustrates ways that the academy has limited faculty and students through boundaries placed on their academic freedom.

Bev-Freda L. Jackson closes our book with another examination of the interaction of academic freedom and social justice. She provides perspectives on ways that a social justice framework can be utilized to support educator’s freedom of expression.