Diversity not achieved by restricting academic freedom

The headline above the editorial in The Gazette’s Jan. 2, 2025, issue, “More diversity is needed in higher ed,” seemed promising at first. The column beneath it began by asking, “What’s the point of going to college?” Could it be that someone was going to make the case for pluralism at a time of unchecked right-wing aggression against the humanities and social sciences at Iowa’s regents’ universities? Sadly, the answer was no.

So, let me answer the columnist’s question: The purpose of higher education is to let our brightest scholars seek the truth about changing social structures and systems in order to transform society for the better. Rinse and repeat. Bullies need not apply. This definition describes much of what the liberal arts and sciences do.

Importantly, scholarly seeking does not necessarily mean “finding.” The broader concept of academic freedom requires letting go of the impulse to restrict inquiry and its underlying philosophies. Legislative threats to academic freedom only protect the certitude that comforts small minds.

The most recent version of this chilling effect is in the Iowa Senate bill 2435. Now the law, it spells the forbidden vocabulary of social and political inquiry allowed on our campuses regarding DEI.

Building resistance means accepting the responsibility of liberty — not from such authoritarianism, but to build trust among us as the public and courage on the part of our leaders.

Keep the faith.

Frank Durham

Iowa City