Any institution of learning can fulfill its mission only when its faculty members have academic freedom; that is, freedom to pursue the truth without fear of pressure from sources inside or outside the institution. Such freedom carries with it the commensurate requirement that members of the faculty exercise their academic freedom in a responsible manner.
It is the policy of Greenville Technical College to defend academic freedom by vigorously resisting all efforts from whatever source to encroach upon or restrict it. A faculty member is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing his/her subject, in accordance with the principles and ethics of his/her profession and within the course or program outcomes.
A Greenville Tech faculty member is a member of a learned profession, and an officer of the institution. When the faculty member speaks or writes as an individual, and not representing the institution, the faculty member will be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but this special position in the community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and as an educational officer, he/she should remember that the public may judge the profession and the college by his/her utterances. Hence, the person should be accurate at all times, should exercise appropriate restraint, and should show respect for the opinions of others, and he/she should make every effort to reflect the proper image of the institution and the profession.
At no time shall the principles of academic freedom prevent the institution from making proper efforts to assure the best possible instruction for all students in accordance with the objectives of the institution.