Thursday, March 25, 2004.

UUP President William Scheuerman, right, talks to Roger Bowen of the American Association of University Professors.

Proposed monitoring of outspoken faculty is "truly a dangerous development in higher education," said Roger Bowen, who pledged to promote academic freedom internationally in his new role as secretary-designee for the American Association of University Professors.

Bowen, speaking to the NYSUT Higher Educational Council, warned that academic bills in different states are sponsored by groups "not at all reluctant to use public law to rein in academics." Conservative columnist David Horowitz alleges that conservatives are being silenced on campuses, and students are being encouraged to use a Web site to report liberal professors who say things that make them uncomfortable.

The American Federation of Teachers' Larry Gold urged AAUP, the National Education Association and the AFT to collaborate on a statement to denounce efforts to hinder academic freedom.

New laws in Iowa, North Carolina and other states call for stricter control on what students and teachers say and publish. "It's another institution there for political capture," Bowen said.

A former president of the State University of New Paltz, Bowen gained national attention and came under fire when he championed academic freedom by defending faculty over a controversial conference sponsored on campus. His actions were supported by United University Professions and its president, William Scheuerman, who leads the NYSUT Higher Education Council.