MIT FACULTY NEWSLETTER

November/December 2021 | Vol. XXXIV No. 2

Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression

Academic freedom and the right to freedom of speech or expression are related, but distinct.

Open Letter to MIT Faculty from the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research

As faculty in the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER), we study a wide range of work and employment relations topics, including union-management relations.

Editorial
Protecting Freedom of Expression at MIT

The recent EAPS lecture cancellation has raised again questions of academic freedom, a central issue for all faculty.

Editorial
Avoiding Corporate Conflict of Interest Among MIT Leadership

After initially resisting such calls, Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute recently enacted strict new rules to avoid conflicts of interest in which Board of Trustees members might profit from investments related to the hospital’s research and technology programs.

Letter By 77 Faculty Re: Professor Abbot’s Lecture Cancellation

We, a group of concerned Faculty, believe that the cancellation of the scheduled EAPS Carlson Lecture by invited speaker Professor Dorian Abbot of the University of Chicago casts a shadow on MIT’s commitment to free and open speech, to the diversity of viewpoints and to tolerance.

Is MIT Losing Control of its Own Destiny?

Most people will take for granted that MIT is currently the most preeminent technical university in the world, and that it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Improving MIT’s Written Commitment to Freedom of Expression

There is no single place in MIT’s official documentation where the Institute’s commitment to free expression on campus for all community members is clearly and prominently set out.

Feedback on the First Draft of MIT’s “Five-year Strategic Action Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”

Thank you for inviting all members of the MIT community to submit their feedback on this important report.

My Soviet Past: Why We Need to be Vigilant About Academic Freedom

In September of this year, MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences decided to cancel the prestigious Carlson Lecture, which was going to be delivered by Professor Dorian Abbot.

Letters
MIT’s Endowment Returns and Fossil Fuels

The announcement on October 14 of MIT’s spectacular endowment returns frames a question: How much less spectacular might the return have been if MIT had been divested in fossil fuels?