ACLS Statement on the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”
Protecting Freedom of Speech and Inquiry
The American Musicological Society (AMS) commends the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) for its recent statement condemning the White House’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” The Compact proposes, among other things, that nine American universities submit to government censorship and policing of thought and opinions on campus in exchange for access to federal funding.
As the ACLS notes, this is a Hobson’s Choice — that is, no choice at all. Freedom of thought and expression are essential to open inquiry and at the very heart of American democracy. The proposed bargain should be rejected by everyone who supports freedom of speech and the open pursuit of knowledge.
The AMS has been a member of the American Council of Learned Societies since 1951.