A faculty committee will establish principles that guide faculty academic freedom at Yale.
Provost Scott Strobel has charged a new faculty committee with developing a clear, forward-looking statement that articulates the principles that guide the academic freedom of Yale faculty.
Composed of nine faculty members from across the university, the Committee on the Principles of Academic Freedom will build on Yale’s longstanding commitment to stewarding this essential university tenet—a foundation for advancing knowledge, critical thinking, and democratic values.
“At Yale, as at other universities, academic freedom is a sacred principle—as fundamental to our success in contributing to this nation and to humanity as the buildings and scholars within them,” said President Maurie McInnis. “Academic freedom has enabled American universities to flourish and expand our ambitions and impact with a relentless focus on excellence and the betterment of our country and humankind.”
Over the coming months, the committee will examine the historical, legal, and ethical foundations of academic freedom in higher education. To consider a broad range of viewpoints, committee members will also engage Yale faculty through a series of conversations, ensuring input is gathered from colleagues across the university.
By the end of the fall 2026 semester, the committee will deliver a written Statement on the Principles of Academic Freedom at Yale University, along with a brief report summarizing its process and findings. This work will help guide university leaders and faculty as they support a scholarly community defined by academic excellence and intellectual independence.
“Over the past year, President McInnis and I have engaged in important conversations about academic freedom, drawing on the insights and experiences of faculty, colleagues at peer institutions, and Yale’s own distinguished scholars in this space,” said Strobel, Provost and Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. “This committee will help ground our collective understanding of academic freedom at Yale—and the faculty’s rights and responsibilities—in common principles. This effort serves to honor Yale’s legacy as a place of robust intellectual inquiry and to preserve the future of academic freedom on campus.”
The committee includes Anoka Faruqee, Professor of Art, Yale School of Art; Jennifer A. Herdt, Gilbert L. Stark Professor of Divinity, Yale Divinity School; Kathryn Lofton, Lex Hixon Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Chima D. Ndumele, Professor of Public Health (Health Policy), Yale School of Public Health; David Post, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Robert C. Post, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Lynn Tanoue, Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary), Yale School of Medicine; and Keith E. Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School.
Gregory Huber, Forst Family Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, will serve as committee chair.
“Academic freedom is essential to the work of scholars, students, and, ultimately, the academic mission of universities,” said Professor Huber. “Our committee looks forward to engaging colleagues across the university as we articulate our understanding of academic freedom and how it supports robust and unfettered research, discovery, and the creation of knowledge.”
Committee Members
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Gregory Huber (chair), Forst Family Professor of Political Science |
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Anoka Faruqee, Professor of Art and Associate Dean, Yale School of Art |
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Jennifer A. Herdt, Gilbert L. Stark Professor of Divinity and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Yale Divinity School |
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Kathryn Lofton, Lex Hixon Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies |
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Chima D. Ndumele, Professor of Public Health (Health Policy) |
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David Post, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
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Robert C. Post, Sterling Professor of Law |
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Lynn Tanoue, Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary) |
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Keith E. Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law |