Academic freedom
Disturbing news regarding academic freedom in Iran - the president is calling for liberal and secular teachers to be removed. While doing a bit of research into issues of academic fredom, I just ran across the Students for Academic Freedom site (ranked #3 when searching for academic freedom). Stupidly thinking the site represented students who were interested in infringements on their professors' speech rights, I was stunned to find this:
The Students for Academic Freedom Information Center is a clearing house and communications center for a national coalition of student organizations whose goal is to end the political abuse of the university and to restore integrity to the academic mission as a disinterested pursuit of knowledge.
Since when has the academy ever stood for the "disinterested pursuit of knowledge?" I can't imagine how boring it be for both students and teachers if we were only allowed to pursue research in which we had little/no investment or personal interest. To suggest that the university would benefit from eliminating all passion, controversy, or creativity is horrifying.