AIM Committee Negotiated Rulemaking Statement

If the regulations developed by the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization negotiated rulemaking committee include a definition of academic freedom, it must be the foundational national norm established by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and must not be abridged or altered in any way. The definition is derived from The 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure with 1970 Interpretive Comments, which was jointly issued by the AAUP and the American Association of Colleges and Universities and centers the role of colleges and universities in supporting the public good and strengthening democracy. This statement has been endorsed by more than 280 scholarly and educational organizations and applied successfully in thousands of colleges and universities nationwide for more than eight decades.

"Academic freedom will be construed broadly and shall include:

(A) freedom to discuss all relevant matters in the classroom;

(B) freedom to explore all avenues of scholarship, research, and creative expression and to publish the results of such work;

(C) freedom from institutional censorship or discipline when addressing matters of institutional policy or action; and

(D) freedom from institutional censorship or discipline when speaking or writing as members of the public."

The April 6, 2026, Proposed Changes from Initial Draft Regulations unacceptably seek to narrow and control what can be taught, learned, and researched on college and university campuses. Definitions of academic freedom that differ from AAUP's will likely make it easier to censor, intimidate, suspend, and fire college and university teachers for partisan reasons. Such attacks on people's jobs-and on students' educational opportunities-are fundamentally incompatible with flourishing cultures of academic freedom. If it continues in this direction, the AIM committee will authorize using the accreditation process to legitimize and normalize partisan interference in higher education.