Seminar series on academic freedom
Universities today are more threatened than they have been for a long time, and the issue of academic freedom is highly topical. Therefore, this spring will see the start of a seminar series that will highlight various aspects of academic freedom and academic responsibility.
On April 23, the seminar series on academic freedom kicks off at Mid Sweden University. It is aimed at all employees. At the first seminar, the question of what academic freedom is will be in focus.
" What we have associated with authoritarian countries and dictatorships has also reached our country and our universities. Researchers are threatened for the research they conduct, members of parliament want universities to stop conducting research in certain areas, and academic freedom – both institutional and individual – has perhaps never been more exposed in Sweden than it is today," says Vice-Chancellor Anders Fällström.
Broadcast live
The first seminar will take place in Östersund on April 23 at 13-15. The agenda and times for the rest of the series will also be discussed. The series will be broadcast live and the aim is to inform, problematize and strengthen academic freedom at the university and to contribute to a wider discussion about the role of universities in today's society.
" I see it as very important that we at the university discuss and debate different perspectives on academic freedom. We will invite external people to provide an overview and their perspectives and mix it with employees from Mid Sweden University. I'm really looking forward to exciting, instructive, rewarding and exciting discussions," says Anders Fällström.