Academic Freedom Statement

Research at Oregon State University

Oregon State University is proud of its stellar reputation as an internationally recognized public research university.  OSU’s mission as a land grant university to promote economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation and the world is well-served by the University’s continued dedication to academic freedom for its faculty conducting research. 

As a 2006 joint statement issued by Oregon State’s Provost and the Faculty Senate President provided: “The essence of academic life is to participate in the astonishingly complex search for truth.  As such, the academy must be a place that encourages and celebrates innovative, exciting and unfettered research.”

Accordingly, the decisions about what to research and what hypotheses to test rests primarily with the faculty member.  Oregon State leadership does not determine what research faculty members engage in.  Rather, University leadership works to create the necessary environment for open scientific inquiry.

From time to time, OSU faculty members may research contradictory avenues or hypotheses and their research may result in vastly different messages or conclusions from each other.

“Differences of perspectives drive the scientific inquiry process,” said the 2006 joint statement by the Provost and Faculty Senate President. “These should not only be encouraged, but fostered in our academic community.”

OSU remains committed to protecting this academic freedom so that the University’s faculty produce the very best science.

At Oregon State, we are also guided by our institutional values of respect, integrity and social responsibility.  These values do not diminish our commitment to academic freedom.  There are, however, protocols in place that faculty members must follow in conducting their research.  There are federal and state laws to be followed, as well as institutional policy protecting health, safety and meeting other compliance obligations.  Faculty members work with units in the Research Office to submit applications for grants from state or federal agencies or other organizations; to seek review as needed by compliance committees for human and animal welfare within research; safety issues or conflicts of interest; to obtain necessary permits or licenses; and to ensure compliance with post-award procedures.

As a land grant public university, it is also important to OSU that its faculty are generally free to publish their research in order to meet the larger goal of moving science, innovation and knowledge forward. 

Link to 2006 joint statement (PDF).