Statement on Academic Freedom and Independence (April 30, 2025)

The statement below is taken from that which President Jim Ryan signed and from the BOV’s Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry.

The Department of Classics stands with UVA President James Ryan and over five hundred other college and university presidents in opposing unprecedented government overreach and political interference in American higher education. As members of a public university and in service of democracy and the public good, we express our bedrock commitment (1) to academic and intellectual freedom, (2) to free and open inquiry, (3) to our core missions of teaching and research in pursuit of truth, (4) to the autonomy of colleges and universities to conduct their affairs free of undue government intrusion and the coercive use of public funding, and (5) to constructive engagement that will improve our institutions and serve our republic.

 Rationale:

The goal of the proposed statement is twofold. To affirm our commitment to these values and to support the President as he navigates turbulent waters. 

 Everything in the above statement is in alignment with the statement the president signed. Further, it is in keeping with the University Statement on Institutional Statements from 2024, because it responds to “questions directly affecting” the university’s mission and operations. It also reflects the Faculty Senate’s Resolution on External Challenges to Faculty Roles and Responsibilities from earlier in 2025 and the BOV’s Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry of 2021.