Since the 2006 Supreme Court Decision Garcetti v. Cebellos, faculty members at our nation’s public colleges have found their academic freedom and rights to speak out on issues of institutional governance on much more tenuous grounds. The termination of Dr. Ivor Van Heerdan from Louisiana State University this month is just the latest in a series of firings and disciplinary action related to faculty members’ speech.
While we still believe that the Court’s ruling in Garcetti should not apply to faculty at public institutions, the Center and our partners have been working hard to minimize its impact until the Courts resolve the misconceptions about the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Last week a bill was introduced into the West Virginia Legislature that would do just that. West Virginia House Bill 4340 would protect faculty members in West Virginia’s public institutions of higher education from being “disciplined, denied employment or denied tenure based upon the content of his or her speech, research or writing related to his or her academic employment.” This legislation would go a long way towards ensuring the free exchange of ideas at West Virginia’s higher education.
The Center for Campus Free Speech is proud to stand with our partners in the Free Exchange on Campus Coalition and support West Virginia House Bill 4340.