Institutional Neutrality

In recent years, when a controversy over a hot-button social or political issue arises, many college and university leaders have made statements of support, opposition, solidarity, or concern. But such statements may actually prevent a college or university from fulfilling its special purpose: as a place where individuals can argue for or against a wide range of views, and where just one voice of unpopular dissent can make everyone smarter and wiser.

When an institution of higher education takes a stand on a social controversy, undesirable and unintended consequences can follow:

• Chilling or punishing students and professors who disagree with the “official position” of the institution;

• Discouraging curiosity and open-minded exploration of this topic, because there’s already a “right answer”;

• Wasting time, money, and attention to produce statements that are unrelated to the institution’s main mission; and

• Undermining prestige and public trust, as the college or university becomes perceived as a political actor rather than a shared resource for pluralistic democracy.

As the University of Chicago’s Kalven Report advised, “The instrument of dissent and criticism is the individual faculty member or the individual student. The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic.” When higher education institutions are neutral on social and political issues, their scholars and students can be anything but.

Today, the idea of institutional neutrality is experiencing a revival.

When a social or political controversy captures public attention, a college or university has a unique opportunity to elevate and improve public debate. Its scholars can articulate and defend their expert opinions. Its campus can host thoughtful discussions. Its students, faculty, and staff can freely formulate and express novel views that enrich the range of possibilities to be considered.

Heterodox Academy has joined with the Academic Freedom Alliance and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression to issue open letters in February 2024 and July 2024 urging universities to adopt institutional neutrality policies on political and social issues that do not concern core academic matters or institutional operations.

Some universities, no doubt chastened by experience, have done what we urged them to do and adopted the principle of institutional neutrality on disputed political issues. These include prestigious universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Syracuse, Purdue, and more.

By committing to the principles of institutional neutrality, these universities signal their dedication to debate, diversity of opinion, and the pursuit of knowledge. They also protect themselves from accusations of political bias and disincentivize outside forces from pressuring them to take sides on complex political problems on behalf of the entire campus community. These schools are choosing, as the University of Chicago’s 1967 “Kalven Report” states, to act as the “home and sponsor of critics” rather than the critic itself and building an arena for students and faculty to debate the issues of the day.

We stand ready to support universities in their pursuit of institutional neutrality and assist those that have pledged to stay true to their principles. Join the fight for institutional neutrality and urge institutional leaders to adopt neutrality today.

1. University of Chicago (11/1/67)
2. Carnegie Mellon University (10/1/70)
3. California Institute of Technology (9/1/14)
4. Arizona State University (4/25/18)
5. University of Arizona (4/25/18)
6. Colby College (2/1/20)
7. Brown University (5/13/22)
8. Claremont McKenna College (2/5/23)
9. Williams College (10/12/23)
10. University of Denver (10/17/23)
11. Mount Holyoke College (10/24/23)
12. University of Utah (12/1/23)
13. Utah State University (12/1/23)
14. Utah Valley University (12/1/23)
15. University of Wyoming (12/13/23)
16. College of the Holy Cross(1/20/24)
17. Columbia University (2/20/24)
18. University of British Columbia Okanagan (2/29/24)
19. Western Kentucky University (3/25/24)
20. University of Toronto (4/26/24)
21. Syracuse University (5/7/24)
22. University of Oregon (5/10/24)
23. Harvard University (5/28/24)
24. Stanford University (5/30/24)
25. University of California, Davis (6/5/24)
26. Purdue University (6/10/24)
27. Appalachian State University (6/28/24)
28. East Carolina University (6/28/24)
29. Elizabeth City State University (6/28/24)
30. Fayetteville State University (6/28/24)
31. North Carolina A&T State University (6/28/24)
32. North Carolina Central University (6/28/24)
33. North Carolina State University (6/28/24)
34. University of North Carolina School of the Arts (6/28/24)
35. University of North Carolina, Asheville (6/28/24)
36. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (6/28/24)
37. University of North Carolina, Charlotte (6/28/24)
38. University of North Carolina, Greensboro (6/28/24)
39. University of North Carolina, Pembroke (6/28/24)
40. University of North Carolina, Wilmington (6/28/24)
41. Western Carolina University (6/28/24)
42. Winston-Salem State University (6/28/24)
43. McGill University (8/8/24)
44. University of Virginia (8/13/24)
45. Johns Hopkins University (8/15/24)
46. Ohio State University (8/17/24)
47. Emerson College (8/20/24)
48. University of Southern California (8/20/24)
49. University of Kentucky (8/20/24)
50. Stephen F. Austin State University (8/23/24)
51. Tulane University (8/23/24)
52. University of Texas at Arlington (8/23/24)
53. University of Texas at Dallas (8/23/24)
54. University of Texas at El Paso (8/23/24)
55. University of Texas at Permian Basin (8/23/24)
56. University of Texas at San Antonio (8/23/24)
57. University of Texas at Tyler (8/23/24)
58. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (8/23/24)
59. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (8/23/24)
60. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (8/23/24)
61. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (8/23/24)
62. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (8/23/24)
63. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (8/23/24)
64. University of Texas, Austin (8/23/24)
65. Cornell University (8/26/24)
66. University of Colorado, Boulder (8/28/24)
67. Haverford College (8/28/24)
68. Amherst College (9/4/24)
69. University of Alabama (9/5/24)
70. University of Alabama, Huntsville (9/5/24)
71. Simon Fraser University (9/9/24)
72. University of Pennsylvania (9/10/24)
73. Barnard College (9/11/24)
74. University of California, Los Angeles (9/12/24)
75. University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (9/12/24)
76. University of Wisconsin, Green Bay (9/12/24)
77. University of Wisconsin, La Crosse (9/12/24)
78. University of Wisconsin, Madison (9/12/24)
79. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (9/12/24)
80. University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh (9/12/24)
81. University of Wisconsin, Parkside (9/12/24)
82. University of Wisconsin, Platteville (9/12/24)
83. University of Wisconsin, River Falls (9/12/24)
84. University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point (9/12/24)
85. University of Wisconsin, Stout (9/12/24)
86. University of Wisconsin, Whitewater (9/12/24)
87. Indiana University Bloomington (9/13/24)
88. Washington State University (9/13/24)
89. Duke University (9/17/24)
90. University of Kentucky (9/17/24)
91. Queen's University (9/19/24)
92. Texas A&M University (9/23/24)
93. Texas Woman's University (9/23/24)
94. University of Connecticut (9/23/24)
95. Northwestern University (9/27/24)
96. Georgia Institute of Technology (10/8/24)
97. Georgia State University (10/8/24)
98. University of Georgia (10/8/24)
99. Louisiana State University (10/10/24)
100. University of Michigan (10/17/24)
101. Clark University (10/20/24)
102. University of Iowa (10/28/24)
103. University of Massachusetts Amherst (10/28/24)
104. Yale University (10/31/24)
105. Michigan State University (12/4/24)
106. George Mason University (12/5/24)
107. Colgate University (12/10/24)
108. Dartmouth College (12/10/24)