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A Call For Real Academic Freedom
By Thomas D. Segel
September 15, 2003

During those long ago days when I roamed the college campus as an undergraduate student, we had a good mix of political thought within the ranks of our faculty. There were those to the left, those to the right. There were returned veterans who were flag wavers and even an admitted communist. By the mid sixties and the ever-increasing anti-war movement, faculty appointments made a sharp left turn.

Much later, working as an educator, I changed employment after years on the conservative campus of the Marine Military Academy to the University of Texas - Pan American (then Pan American University). Upon arrival, I was shocked to find only one true conservative faculty member. During the years I was on that campus I saw the continued employment of professors with left of center leanings, a parade of liberal to far left speakers, a televised debate of Democrat candidates for President of the United States and even a major address by Jesse Jackson. I do not recall the hiring of any instructor with a conservative ideology or the visitation of a single conservative speaker.

Though it was an awakening experience for me, I later found that across the United States, the denial of faculty appointments to conservatives was the rule, rather than the exception. Today, on most campuses, it is estimated liberal faculty members outnumber their conservative counterparts by a ratio of 6 to 1. At institutions such as Harvard and the University of California, a sighting of a conservative professor would be akin to finding a living dinosaur.

This boycott of conservative thought is an outrage which should not be tolerated, no matter what the person's political leanings. It amounts to the brightest young minds in our country being given a singular view of the world, as it is seen from the left. It also means that academia is giving the youth of this country only half an education.

There is a move in Colorado to change this imbalance in educational materials, presentations and political philosophy of faculty members. Though the mountain state has always held to the middle of the road much better than the giants of higher education from both the eastern and western states, it could still be a national leader with the passage of what its Legislature calls "The Academic Bill of Rights". The proposed language of that bill sets out "to secure the intellectual independence of faculty and students and to protect the principle of intellectual diversity."

Taking this thought a step further, it should be noted that our government makes it extremely difficult for businesses, public services, organizations and even educational facilities to function, if they cannot document openness to all people, regardless of race or religion.

The regulations related to ethnic diversity are so stringent that federal funding can be denied if there is non-compliance. I would argue that the same regulations and standards should apply to all educational institutions in the country. Those schools and colleges which could not document a fair and balanced curriculum, those universities which could not show a diversity of political thought within the ranks of those who teach our children should be denied any and all federal funding. These schools could then decide the importance of continuing their current leftist indoctrination of young America.

Those which elected to do so could continue to educate just as they do today, but without the benefit of huge tax dollars now being used to advance their credo. It is an even bet that when Pell grants faded away, when research dollars disappeared, when funded federal projects moved to other arenas, most of the nation's educational leadership would find a way to return to Main Street U.S.A.