Academic freedom is the cornerstone. Faculty members must be free to research topics of their choosing, and they must be allowed to teach those topics in an open and unfettered way. Faculty members also have a right to speak publicly without fear of reprisal. Only when academic freedom is protected is there a genuine accumulation of knowledge necessary for a free society. Citizens can make informed decisions only if they are allowed access to relevant knowledge.
Academic freedom protects that precious knowledge and makes it available to inform the citizenry.
Tenure is the best defender of academic freedom. AAUP has stood for decades behind the concept that faculty cannot be penalized for saying unpopular things as they practice their disciplinary craft in scholarly writings, teaching, and in civic participation. The importance of the 1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure to the quality of American higher education cannot be overestimated. We also need to guarantee that faculty are treated fairly in all in personnel matters, and that the academic freedom protection provided by tenure not be undermined by arbitrary dismissal procedures. Administrators, trustees, politicians, and the general public all need to be reminded that the principles of the 1940 statement are the basis of American higher education.