Vice-Chancellor: ‘Be bold to protect academic freedom’

Universities need to do more to promote diversity of thought and opinion, Reading’s Vice-Chancellor has said in a speech in Parliament.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said that university leaders, unions and the government needed to do more to promote a culture of openness and divergence of opinion.

Speaking at an event on Tuesday, organised by the Higher Education Policy Institute and Advance HE, Professor Van de Noort said: “We need to be bold when protecting academic freedom, and we need to tread lightly when entering current debates. If we do not, universities risk becoming less universal and more homogenous, and that’s a big risk to society.

“Yes, there is a need to ensure high standards of teaching and research, give taxpayers and students value for money, and make universities welcoming for everyone. Universities have worked by providing space for the rebels and the renegades, who have been willing to challenge accepted wisdom.”

“Our job as university leaders is to give our colleagues and our students the space and the skills to come up with new ideas and challenge conventions. And they can’t do that well if they are constantly looking over their shoulder for approval.”

The event was attended by MPs, government officials and representatives from across UK higher education.

Professor Van de Noort spoke alongside Professor Adam Habib, Director of SOAS University of London; Professor Alice Sullivan, Professor of Sociology from UCL Institute of Education; and Professor Tom Lawson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Northumbria University.

Universities and students’ union across the UK are currently preparing for new responsibilities on promoting free speech and academic freedom, with the Office for Students tasked with issuing fines and sanctions to those that fall short of their commitments.

Titled ‘Has the higher education sector got it right on freedom of speech?: How can governors and managers best support difficult-and-lawful speech in practice?’, the event in Parliament discussed the background and solutions to freedom of speech problems on campuses.