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Policy Number
BOT-16
Responsible Office
Board of Trustees
Originator
Mr. Manny Diaz, Jr., Interim President
Current Status
Combined comment and review period is from November 14, 2025 to December 14, 2025
Abstract
The purpose of this policy is to affirm the university’s commitment to institutional neutrality on matters that are unrelated to its core educational mission. By doing so, the university fosters an academic environment where free inquiry, diverse perspectives, and the open exchange of ideas are protected and supported.
Public Comment on BOT-5 (BOT-16): Institutional Neutrality Statement
I respectfully request revisions to the proposed Institutional Neutrality Statement. While I appreciate the university's intention to reaffirm "free inquiry, diverse perspectives, and the open exchange of ideas," the current wording raises substantive concerns from a faculty perspective.
The Core Issue
The current language: "cultivating, hosting, and teaching both established wisdom and leading thought” frames the university as a passive custodian of existing ideas rather than an active site of knowledge creation. This framing inadvertently undermines the research mission that distinguishes universities from other educational institutions. Universities do not simply "host" and "teach" knowledge; we are tasked with generating it. Our mission encompasses research, community engagement, and ethical leadership in service to the public good. Faculty must maintain active research agendas that, by their very nature, interrogate established paradigms and advance new knowledge. This is not a departure from neutrality; it is the fulfillment of our scholarly mandate.
Proposed Revision
I respectfully request that the first paragraph be revised as follows:
"The mission of the University of West Florida requires institutional neutrality. Universities play a unique social and cultural role by cultivating, hosting, teaching, and fostering rigorous academic inquiry across diverse scholarly perspectives and methodological approaches."
This revision preserves the commitment to neutrality while accurately reflecting the university's role as an institution where knowledge is not only transmitted but created through disciplined inquiry.
1 Comment
Heather Riddell
Dec 09, 2025Public Comment on BOT-5 (BOT-16): Institutional Neutrality Statement
I respectfully request revisions to the proposed Institutional Neutrality Statement. While I appreciate the university's intention to reaffirm "free inquiry, diverse perspectives, and the open exchange of ideas," the current wording raises substantive concerns from a faculty perspective.
The Core Issue
The current language: "cultivating, hosting, and teaching both established wisdom and leading thought” frames the university as a passive custodian of existing ideas rather than an active site of knowledge creation. This framing inadvertently undermines the research mission that distinguishes universities from other educational institutions. Universities do not simply "host" and "teach" knowledge; we are tasked with generating it. Our mission encompasses research, community engagement, and ethical leadership in service to the public good. Faculty must maintain active research agendas that, by their very nature, interrogate established paradigms and advance new knowledge. This is not a departure from neutrality; it is the fulfillment of our scholarly mandate.
Proposed Revision
I respectfully request that the first paragraph be revised as follows:
"The mission of the University of West Florida requires institutional neutrality. Universities play a unique social and cultural role by cultivating, hosting, teaching, and fostering rigorous academic inquiry across diverse scholarly perspectives and methodological approaches."
This revision preserves the commitment to neutrality while accurately reflecting the university's role as an institution where knowledge is not only transmitted but created through disciplined inquiry.
Thank you for your consideration.