Academic Freedom Policy
Approved By: President
Effective Date: December 4, 2023

1. Background
The purpose of this policy is to express the commitment of the Okinawa Institute ofScience and Technology Graduate University (OIST) to academic freedom.
The policy on academic freedom draws on the examples and endorses the principles ofinternationally recognized statements including:•the American Association of University Professors 1940 Statement of Principles on
Academic Freedom and Tenure.

•the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching
Personnel November 11, 1997; and•the EHEA Rome Ministerial Communique November 2020.

2. Academic Freedom
OIST administration is responsible to establish and protect academic freedom for all its
academic community, meaning freedom in respect of research, teaching and learning, andthe dissemination of research and teaching outcomes within and outside the higher
education sectors, without fear of reprisal.
ResearchOIST’s academic freedom gives the academic community the right, consistent withprofessional and ethical standards of the respective discipline and in accordance withaccepted standards of scholarly practice, to study and do research on the topics theychoose, to decide how to conduct the research and for what purpose, to draw what
conclusions they find consistent with their research, and to decide how to disseminate
their research findings. OIST leadership and faculty should oppose efforts by corporate or
government sponsors to block dissemination of any research findings including students’
PhD theses.
Employment and promotion
OIST academic staff’s employment conditions will be sufficiently secure to enable them toexercise academic freedom.

Members of the academic community should never suffer

threats, dismissal, or other sanctions in relation to the content of their research, teaching,or stated professional views.

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Charges against OIST researchers.
Charges against a faculty member or OIST researchers that can lead to dismissal will beconsidered by a committee including faculty and OIST administration. The accusedresearcher has the right to due process (including being informed before the hearing inwriting of all the charges), the right to present their case, and the right, if they choose, tobe accompanied by an advisor and/or assisted by an attorney.
Teaching
Academic staff have the right to decide how to teach the courses for which they areresponsible,

subject

toaccepted

professional

principles

includingprofessional

responsibility and intellectual rigor with regard to standards and methods of teaching.
Access to the profession
Access to the higher education academic profession should be based solely on academic
qualifications, competence and experience and equal for all members of society without
any discrimination. [cross refer to OIST diversity statement]
Governance
OIST’s governance defined by its constitution, policies and procedures, will be aligned inways that respect academic freedom, allowing academic staff and students to participate
meaningfully in decision-making processes and to express their views on the university’s
policies and priorities without fear of reprisals.

Freedom of expression
N.B. deal with freedom of speech in separate document.

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