Statement on Academic Freedom

Except as specifically stated, the Washburn University Faculty Handbook applies to all Washburn University School of Law faculty, including part-time and adjunct faculty. This includes the following Statement on Academic Freedom, found in Section 2 (I) of the Handbook:

Law professors' responsibilities extend beyond the classroom to include out of class associations with students and other professional activities. Members of the law teaching profession should have a strong sense of the special obligations that attach to their calling. They should recognize their responsibility to serve others and not be limited to pursuit of self interest. This general aspiration cannot be achieved by edict, for moral integrity and dedication to the welfare of others cannot be legislated. Nevertheless, a public statement of good practices concerning ethical and professional responsibility can enlighten newcomers and remind experienced teachers about the basic ethical and professional tenets-the ethos-of their profession.

1. The faculty member is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results subject to performance of his/her other academic duties, but research for pecuniary return should be based upon University policy as stated in the Faculty Handbook (see Sections 2.VIII and 5.II).
2. Faculty are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects and must exercise professional judgment in selecting the material they wish to use.
3. The Washburn University faculty member is a member of a learned profession and an academic member of an educational institution. When the faculty member speaks or writes as an individual he/she is free from institutional censorship or discipline and must avoid identification of Washburn University with his/her words or acts as an individual. As a person of learning, the faculty member must remember that the public may judge the profession and Washburn University by his/her utterances. Hence, the faculty should at all times endeavor to be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should avoid indication that he/she is an institutional spokesman unless he/she has been so designated.