← Back to Vol. 05 Issue No. 03 — Issue 03
Abstract
Academic freedom has been a hallmark of higher education, including Catholic colleges and universities, for several generations. However, in the post-Vatican II era an almost palpable and tangible diminution of Catholic identity for many Catholic colleges and universities in the United States has prompted some to call into question the absoluteness of academic freedom. Can academic freedom be absolute in Catholic colleges and universities when the mission of the institution is threatened? This essay argues that while both institution and individuals need the freedom to operate, the Catholic mission of colleges and universities and their maintenance of a fair presentation of Church teaching must be equally inviolate. When conflict arises it is the task of administrators, both boards of trustees and on-campus officers, to promote the Catholic identity and maintain the institution’s mission through procedures and, as necessary, discipline to individuals who willingly threaten or abuse that mission.