Universities’ civic duty trumps political expediency, says rector

Head of Poland’s Adam Mickiewicz University pushes to protect academic values amid political difficulties

Universities should exercise their civic duty to engage in public debate despite the risk of negative political consequences for doing so, the head of one of the top academic institutions in Poland has urged.

In recent years, academics across Europe have raised concern that their freedom to decide what to research, report, teach and learn is being influenced too much by politicians.