|
Support
for Freedom of Inquiry
by Faculty and Students
As
part of its ongoing efforts to create a teaching and learning environment
of the highest quality, the University continues to strengthen its support
for freedom of inquiry by all members of the University community. The
University remains strongly committed to the 1940 American Association
of University Professors (AAUP) Principles on Academic Freedom. The University
supports and rewards unfettered scholarship, research, and creative activities
by faculty and students through a variety of programs, including Professional
Development Leaves, Faculty Summer Research Fellowships, University Distinguished
Professor Awards, the McKay Research Award, and summer undergraduate research
programs in several of the sciences. The University also provides travel
support for faculty and students to attend scholarly conferences and meetings.
When appropriate and especially in the sciences, the University provides
start-up funds for new faculty to initiate their research programs. The
establishment over the past ten years of several applied research centers
in the colleges has further helped to foster innovative and entrepreneurial
research among faculty and students. Recognizing the importance of encouraging
cross-fertilization among academic disciplines, the University has established
and supported several interdisciplinary programs at both the undergraduate
and graduate levels.
Freedom of inquiry is so integral to UNI's mission and purposes that it
constitutes an explicit focus of the University's Strategic Plan. See
both the 1996-2001 Strategic Plan (Appendix C; Additional information
is available in the NCA Report Appendix. Print copies are available for
review at UNI's Rod Library) and the 2001-2006 Strategic Plan (Appendix
C;
Additional information is available in the NCA Report Appendix. Print
copies are available for review at UNI's Rod Library).
Library resources play a vital role in preserving freedom of academic
inquiry at any university. The Rod Library has enjoyed strong resource
support over the last decade in a variety of ways, including the addition
of a fourth floor, the enlargement of its book and periodical collections,
the infusion and development of CD-ROM, locally-mounted databases, and
Web access to remote databases.
With the emergence of the Internet and World Wide Web, the University
has implemented policies regarding the use of information technology to
ensure considerable freedom for all members of the University community
related to access and use of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
|
