Diversity schemes ‘do not undermine free speech’

Freedom of speech and academic freedom are not undermined by Reading’s membership of benchmarking diversity schemes, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading has said.

Responding to a letter from the former Universities Minister, and new Education Secretary, Michelle Donelan MP, Professor Robert Van de Noort expressed his confidence that University membership of schemes such as the Race Equality Charter does not undermine the University’s commitment to freedom of expression.

See below for the full text of both letters.

Letter from Professor Robert Van de Noort, University of Reading, to Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Education (formerly Universities Minister):

6 July 2022

Dear Secretary of State,

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Thank you for your recent letter regarding protection of freedom of speech on university campuses.

May I first congratulate you on your appointment as Secretary of State and offer you my best wishes in your new role. I am very pleased to know that someone with such an in-depth knowledge of our universities will now have overall responsibility for our wider education system. I am sure your previous focus on further and higher education will hold you in good stead, particularly in understanding the role universities play in supporting wider education, skills and research agendas. I would be delighted to continue to work with you on important issues.

During the second reading of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, you made explicit reference to me and the University of Reading for our principled stance on academic freedom and freedom of speech. I welcome your support regarding the University of Reading’s distinctive and active support for freedom of speech.

I differ, however, with the suggestion you made in your letter that universities’ current or pending membership of charter marks or assurance schemes, such as the Race Equality Charter, would undermine our own strong commitments regarding academic freedom or freedom of speech.

As an institution, we believe in fairness and equality for all. At Reading, taking action to reduce the race attainment gap and racial inequality more broadly are priorities. Our commitment to reducing the race attainment gap remains part of our Access Agreement approved by the Office for Students.

Our commitment to reducing racial equality is exemplified by our own internal Race Equality Review. Both commitments are supported and strengthened by a pledge to apply for the Race Equality Charter, which provides us with an effective and structured framework that enables us to actively listen to both staff and students. The Race Equality Charter is an entirely voluntary scheme through which we can address the systemic challenges that exist both within our institution and beyond. It does not, in any way, impinge on our commitment to academic freedom and freedom of speech.

In summary, I am confident that all schemes with which the University is affiliated are utilised and referred to in such a way as to afford benefits to our students and faculty, without reducing our commitments to academic freedom, which is fundamental to our operation and enshrined in our Royal Charter.

As always, I would welcome any opportunity to discuss this further with you, and with your successor as Universities Minister.

Kind regards

Professor Robert Van de Noort
Vice-Chancellor

Letter from Michelle Donelan MP, Universities Minister, to Professor Robert Van de Noort, University of Reading:

27 June 2022

Dear Colleague,

On 13 June, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill was approved by the House of Commons, a significant step in fulfilling our 2019 manifesto commitment to strengthen academic freedom and free speech in universities. There is growing concern that a ‘chilling effect’ on university campuses leaves students, staff and academics unable to freely express their lawful views without fear of repercussion. Two hundred academics wrote to The Times in October 2021, reporting that they had received abuse, including some reporting death threats, simply for expressing their views.

The government is clear that higher education (HE) providers in England must have a duty to take steps that are reasonably practicable to ensure freedom of speech within the law is secured for members, students, staff and visiting speakers and that they must comply with it. We want to ensure that providers create environments in which students and staff have the confidence to discuss and debate issues freely. That is how future generations will develop the ability to think critically, to challenge extremist narratives, and put forward (lawful) new and controversial ideas. These are essential skills in a modern, forward-facing society.

One of the areas which has come to my attention as potentially being in tension with creating an environment that promotes and protects free speech is university membership and participation in external assurance and benchmarking diversity schemes. The Race Equality Charter, operated by Advance HE, has recently been the subject of attention from MPs and the media, but there are of course a number of other, similar, schemes, and this letter invites careful consideration in respect of all these.

Universities and other HE providers are autonomous institutions, and the decision over whether or not to join external assurance and benchmarking diversity schemes, is up to each individual provider. As we set out in a policy statement in September 2020, “Where a university believes that membership of such schemes are genuinely the best way of addressing a matter, it is of course free to do so, but in general universities should feel confident in their ability to address such matters themselves and not feel pressured to take part in such initiatives to demonstrate their support for the cause the scheme addresses.” Given the importance of creating an HE environment in which free speech and academic freedom can flourish, I would like to ask you to reflect carefully as to whether your continued membership of such schemes is conducive to establishing such an environment. On that note, I would draw to your attention that, in May 2022, the interim CEO of the Office for Students, warned that universities, should “be thinking carefully and independently about their free speech duty when signing up to these sort of schemes.”

As you know, this government has consistently invested in our universities, most recently announcing, in March of this year, funding of £750m to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. It is, however, vital that this investment by the taxpayer is matched by providers taking their own steps to improve efficiency. Bearing in mind the substantial sums invested by the taxpayer into Higher Education, I would ask you to consider whether membership of these schemes; the initiatives that flow from them; and the creation of new, highly paid, management roles in these areas truly represent good value for money for taxpayers or students.

I hope that by bringing this matter to your attention now you will have the opportunity to consider it appropriately as you work to create positive, inclusive environments which promote and protect free speech and academic freedom.

Yours sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Michelle Donelan MP
Minister of State for Higher and Further Education