Board of Regents resolution on institutional speech updates
Table of contents
March 25, 2025: Advisory group formed
March 18, 2025: Resolution approved
March 25, 2025: Advisory group formed
Academic freedom of individuals who engage in academic work is—and will continue to be—a core value of the University of Minnesota. Recently, the Board of Regents adopted a Resolution Related to Response to the President’s Task Force on Institutional Speech Report describing guardrails on institutional, not individual, speech. Provost Rachel Croson has formed a group to advise her on how to implement that resolution.
The group will work to uphold the University’s commitment to affirming and defending the rights of individuals to research, publish, teach, speak, or write on matters of public concern or public interest, and to otherwise disseminate their research, scholarship, and creative expression. They will also refine the guidelines for what institutional statements are and are not appropriate for University websites or other media.
The members of this group are:
- Philippe Buhlmann, Professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering
- Elisia Cohen, Director, Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Liberal Arts
- Michael Rodriguez, Dean, College of Education and Human Development
- Janet Schrunk Ericksen, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Morris
Legal advisor: Brian Slovut, Deputy General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
March 18, 2025: Resolution approved
On Friday, the Board of Regents voted 9-3 to approve an updated version of the Resolution Related to Institutional Speech, that provides guidance for those situations when the University issues statements on matters of broad public concern and interest.
The Board decision reflects the belief that limiting and defining institutional speech provides the widest latitude for individuals across the University to debate or dissent.
The decision was based on input from across the University community and the "Final Report and Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on Institutional Speech", as well as feedback from shared governance.
The decision also reaffirms the Board’s robust support of and steadfast commitment to academic freedom and free expression within the University community including that “[t]he University will continue to affirm and defend the rights of individuals to research, publish, teach, speak or write on matters of public concern or public interest, and to otherwise disseminate their research, scholarship and creative expression.”
The Board resolution defined who speaks the viewpoint of the University on a matter of public concern or public interest, and noted that units including schools, departments, and centers, when making statements, are doing so on behalf of the institution, and are differentiated from statements made by individuals. Recognizing there are many different points of view on matters of public concern and interest, the resolution articulates that the president is the primary spokesperson of University positions, and further clarifies that statements reflecting a University position are separate from instances when individuals speak on issues of public interest or when academic units disseminate findings related to the individual research of their members.
The comments made by Board of Regents Chair Janie Mayeron, as part of the Board’s discussion of this item on Friday, provide additional context about what guided the formulation of this resolution.
President Rebecca Cunningham has charged Provost Rachel Croson, as systemwide chief academic officer, with the implementation of this resolution by focusing on institutional speech by units without interfering in the dissemination of academic research, scholarship, and creative activity undertaken by and attributed to individual members of the academic unit. Provost Croson will form a committee to assess the appropriate scope of institutional speech in light of the guidelines set forth by the Board of Regents.
Implementation details will be shared with campus, college, and unit leaders, and activation of this approach will begin no later than April 1, 2025.