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Professor Anneliese Mennicke of UNC Charlotte on the debate over academic freedom
Description
Dr. Mennicke is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work (Photo: Charlotte.edu)
For close to 90 years, most American universities and their faculty members have operated under a popular, useful and commonly understood definition of academic freedom – that is the notion that a free search for the truth and its exposition (one not beholden to politicians or the whims of public opinion) is at the heart of higher education’s mission. Indeed, throughout this period, a national organization known as the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has made championing such a definition its guiding mission.
However, in recent years, conservative partisans have been leading a relentless campaign to undermine academic freedom and, in recent months, that effort has given rise to a new initiative at the UNC System Board of Governors. And recently to learn more, Newsline caught up with an AAUP leader here in North Carolina – UNC Charlotte Associate Professor of Social Work, Anneliese Mennicke.
Click here for the full interview with UNC Charlotte Associate Professor Anneliese Mennicke.