The AERA Council last month voted to endorse the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure issued by the American Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Council’s endorsement of the 1940 Statement is timed to mark the coming 75th anniversary of the seminal set of principles on the crucial role of academic freedom and tenure in protecting “the free search for truth and its free exposition.” The statement has been endorsed by more than 200 scholarly societies, in particular those in the social sciences and humanities, over the years.
The premises set forth in the statement complement other statements of principle AERA has adopted in the past.
“The 1940 Statement has timeless qualities that make it much more than a historical document,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “We are pleased not only to endorse these principles, but also to help commemorate the 75th anniversary of this important document in doing so.”