Stand Up for Science rallies support for academic freedom compact

Stand Up for Science held a virtual rally on Oct. 7 to build pressure on higher-ed leaders to back its new compact on academic freedom, knowledge and trust. The group says the effort is meant to give universities a positive alternative to federal attempts to shape campus policy.

Why it matters: - Stand Up for Science is trying to turn academic freedom into a public, campus-level organizing issue. - The compact is aimed at university leaders, faculty and the public, with the goal of getting colleges and universities to formally endorse a shared set of principles. - The effort lands as higher education faces pressure from the Department of Education and broader fights over who controls campus policy.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science hosted a virtual rally on the evening of Oct. 7 to support its campaign around America’s Compact For Higher Education. - The one-hour event brought together attendees from around the country, including education, labor and science activists, university faculty and staff, and others. - Speakers included Dr. Bruce Simon, president of the SUNY Faculty Senate; Jenna Chernega, vice chair of Higher Ed Labor United; and Dr. Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science. - The speakers focused on academic freedom and the idea that knowledge creation is a public good.

The details: - Stand Up for Science published America’s Compact For Higher Education last month. - The compact lays out basic agreements around absolute academic freedom, knowledge, safety and trust at U.S. universities and colleges. - The group drafted the compact with academic leaders and Nobel Laureates. - Stand Up for Science says the compact was created in response to the Department of Education’s attempts to install policy reform at U.S. universities. - The organization is inviting the public to read the compact and use an embedded tool to send it to university leaders and urge endorsement. - Delawalla said higher education has failed to come together in defense of academic freedom and said people power works. - Simon said SUNY’s Faculty Senate is supporting the compact because governance bodies should join the effort. - Simon added that higher education contributes more than graduate salary gains. - Chernega said the better path is to define what higher education should look like and build something new in a positive way. - Delawalla said the compact is not about ideology and is meant as a basic agreement for safety, public trust, academic freedom and the value of knowledge.

Between the lines: - The compact frames academic freedom as a broad public-interest issue rather than a narrow internal university dispute. - By pairing faculty, labor and science advocates, Stand Up for Science is trying to show cross-sector momentum behind the campaign. - The language around “people power” signals a strategy built on public pressure rather than only internal university governance.

What's next: - Stand Up for Science wants more university leaders to endorse the compact. - The group is asking supporters to send the compact directly to campus decision-makers. - The campaign is likely to continue as a response to federal efforts to influence higher education policy.

The bottom line: - Stand Up for Science is turning academic freedom into a coordinated advocacy push, with universities now asked to choose whether they will publicly back the compact.