The ACM brought together educators from member colleges for a special workshop addressing the complicated but critical topics of academic freedom and inclusive practices in higher education.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) brought together educators from member institutions for a gathering that explored the intersections of two core higher education values: academic freedom and inclusive teaching practices. Hosted by ACM member Lake Forest College, Empowering Educators: Integrating Academic Freedom and Inclusion in Liberal Arts Education aimed to inspire and equip participants to return to their campuses as agents for positive change.
The ACM and academic leaders on its fourteen member campuses recognize the importance of academic freedom and the need to work toward more inclusive spaces and approaches in higher education. However, the two values can, at times, be in conflict, especially in an era when controversial global and domestic events have led to increased activism.
Sarah Gamalinda, an assistant professor of French and francophone studies at Lawrence University, was one of 23 faculty and staff members from nine ACM colleges who attended the two-day workshop. She said the often-tumultuous political climate in the United States has led to concerns for her over how to navigate possible tensions that could arise in the classroom.
“There are a lot of faculty [members] who worry privately, or not so privately, and then go, ‘I just hope I’ll never have to deal with that,’” Gamalinda said. “I like that this workshop was a more formalized way of dealing with this and saying, ‘This is an actual issue that we’ll approach together.’”
Gamalinda went on to say she left Empowering Educators: Integrating Academic Freedom and Inclusion in Liberal Arts Education encouraged and comforted by the knowledge that there are networks of experienced colleagues she could turn to for further insights and support.
The July 17-18 workshop explored ways to promote productive dialogue and offered recommendations for course designs that create effective academic environments for diverse learners, encourage constructive classroom debate, and ensure instructor autonomy. It featured a variety of exercises, interactive case studies, and discussions facilitated by national thought leaders. Campus teams were given time to brainstorm ways to bring their learning back to their colleagues.
Because of the nature of ACM institutions, the Empowering Educators event focused on applying key themes specifically to instructional settings in small residential liberal arts colleges.
Attendee Shawn Harmsen, an assistant professor of communication studies at Coe College, said he appreciated the workshop’s concrete ideas for creating safe classroom spaces that can still be intellectually challenging. He acknowledged a certain amount of unease can exist on small liberal arts campuses about these topics.
“You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other,” Harmsen said of academic freedom, rigor, equity, diversity, and inclusion. “If you switch the conversation to, ‘What is the most pedagogically-sound and effective methodology,’ then it takes away some of the angst and heartburn over theoretical what-ifs.”
ACM President Lisa Jasinski, who co-facilitated the workshop’s opening session with Allen Linton II, ACM’s senior director of equity, diversity, and inclusion, described the event as an example of the value of the ACM in this current moment.
“Close collaboration makes our campuses better and more innovative, especially when we face so many shared challenges,” Jasinski said. “The opportunity for educators to meet in person and bravely confront one of the core challenges in higher education today illustrates that our members have rightly earned their reputations as excellent places to both teach and learn.”
The other facilitators for sessions at Empowering Educators: Integrating Academic Freedom and Inclusion in Liberal Arts Education were Lindsey Hamilton, the director of the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning at Bates College in Maine; Brian Williams, the ACM’s vice president for strategic initiatives; and Lake Forest College history professor Anna Trumbore-Jones, who cofounded Lake Forest’s intergroup dialogue program.
The ACM extends its gratitude to Lake Forest College and its president, Jill Baren, for hosting the workshop.
