Three years of the Declaration on Academic Freedom at SDU

Universities have been navigating challenging terrain in recent years with regard to academic freedom. In the polarised world of today, the boundaries of freedom of research, freedom of teaching and freedom of expression are increasingly coming under fire from different quarters. At the same time, society’s rising expectations for usability and innovation require a clear grip on the balance between freedom of research and external funding.   

Three years after SDU issued the joint Declaration on Academic Freedom, we have checked the condition of academic freedom at SDU through interviews with researchers and lecturers from the working group that prepared the declaration. 

Vice Dean Lars Grassmé Binderup, the Faculty of Humanities

Why was it important that SDU issued a joint declaration on academic freedom?

- Academic freedom has clearly come under pressure in recent years, and as I teach freedom of religion and expression, it was particularly relevant for me to be involved in the work on the declaration. Many lecturers in my field have had to ask themselves, ‘Can you show the Muhammad cartoons in class or should you refrain from doing that?’

- The Declaration reassures our colleagues that as lecturers we can include academically significant but controversial sources in our teaching – and discuss both sides of the issue and clarify the arguments. It is the University’s responsibility to deliver free and critical teaching, even if it may offend and challenge students’ feelings and ideas.

How has the Declaration been received?

- At the Faculty of Humanities, the Declaration has been very positively received, as it highlights the room for manoeuvre that you have as a lecturer and researcher. At the University overall, the Declaration’s points of reference have been put to good use in managing cases and conflicts, for example, in the Israel-Gaza debate and in relation to the new principles for collaboration with the Danish Armed Forces and the defence industry.

Do you see any challenges for academic freedom in the future?

- Of course, Trump’s attacks on American universities raise concerns, but fortunately we are in a completely different situation in Denmark – and very far from American conditions.

- In a different vein, the University is in the middle of a seismic shift, in which external grants are taking and will continue to take up much more space than they did before. It is important, of course, that we are aware of this and ensure that researchers have the space to continue investigating perspectives that are not desired by the business community or by politicians. But I haven’t heard of any researchers complaining that they can’t research the topics they want to investigate.

- Having an extra focus on academic freedom is excellent because we must continuously discuss and debate these important issues both at the faculties and throughout SDU, so that we can work against any insidious movements towards less freedom in teaching, in research and in public debate – especially dangerous unconscious self-censorship.

Professor Mette Præst Knudsen, Department of Business and Management

Why was it important that SDU issued a joint declaration on academic freedom?

- For me, it was important to prepare the declaration because freedom of research and teaching is under pressure today. Research has become hastier and more characterised by external agendas, in which strategic considerations are sometimes considered more important than free questions. This creates a multi-directional pressure for the individual researcher, which is why it is crucial to have clear policies and a lasting reassurance that we actually have free rein.

- At the same time, we must be relevant to society and our partners; we experience this to a great extent at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences. On the other hand, the research of Nobel Prize laureates has not been driven by the strategies of private foundations. It requires effort to conduct investigations and do research, and I think we are trying to find a good balance.

- The Declaration also safeguards teaching. We have the freedom to teach and to decide what we want to teach and how we want to teach it. This obliges us to have a dialogue with and challenge the students in order to ensure development and strengthen the free, open educational environment that should characterise a university.

What will it take for the Declaration to have an even greater impact?

- The Declaration is based on solid and historical values that ought to be well-known to everyone, but in a time of increasing demands for relevance and strategic funding, this is perhaps no longer the case. It is important that management continues to commit to keeping the Declaration in play – and also that we take responsibility at the local level for ensuring and spreading knowledge of the Declaration so that it does not end up gathering dust on a shelf.

Head of Department Jakob Møller-Jensen, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Why was it important that SDU issued a joint declaration on academic freedom?

- It was really important that we got the Declaration; I see it as a useful helping hand, which makes our researchers at the Faculty of Science confident that they can stand firm in their field of research and can rely on the University’s support, as long as their research has academic integrity.

Has the declaration made a tangible difference in practice?

- Not long after we completed the Declaration, it demonstrated its power when management, with Jens at the helm, was able to clearly stand by its values in a specific case and state that we have the freedom to think and express ourselves at the university. That clarity was important.

- On the whole, I think that the value of the Declaration is expressed in small and concrete situations in which we are faced with various dilemmas related to research or teaching situations.

Do you see any challenges for academic freedom in the future?

- I see an even greater relevance for our declaration in the future as the balance between externally funded research and the fixed-funded support for the universities tips further towards private funding.

- Freedom of research and the pursuit of good ideas will be challenged if research areas are selected according to how a given foundation prioritises its support for researchers, particularly if the process is not 100% transparent.

This calls for us to become more involved as a university and as researchers, to stand on an academically sound foundation and to function as the scientific emergency response team for society, which is what we are here for.

Professor Henrik Dimke, Department of Molecular Medicine

Why was it important that SDU issued a joint declaration on academic freedom?

- It was important to have a joint declaration because it clarifies what we as a university stand for. Academic freedom constitutes the very fundament of both research and teaching, and it is therefore valuable to have a common set of values we can refer to.

Has the Declaration made a tangible difference in your own work?

- I have not experienced restrictions to my own academic freedom, but the Declaration provides an important form of support if I was to experience that one day.

Do you see any challenges for academic freedom in the future?

- One challenge is that in practice freedom of research also depends on what the framework is for funding one’s research.

What will it take for the Declaration to have an even greater impact?

It is important that it is used actively as a starting point in relevant cases and decisions.