Making the Case for Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy in a Challenging Political Environment: a resource guide for campus leaders

Over the past several years, there have been numerous state government efforts—sometimes sparked by legislators and other times by governors—to shape, limit or regulate the presentation and discussion in educational institutions of topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities. These bills have sometimes been labeled as efforts to prohibit the teaching of “divisive concepts,” and they have been described by PEN America as “educational gag orders.” As these issues surface and simmer across the country, the American Council on Education (ACE) and PEN America have partnered to create this resource guide. We hope both to provide an overview of what is happening and why and to offer guidance on how presidents, chancellors, and other campus leaders can address these issues from a higher education perspective with internal and external stakeholders.