Lehigh has formally adopted the Chicago Principles with a Lehigh-specific preamble, according to a video from the Office of the President sent in an email to the campus community today.
In the video, President Joseph Helble said questions facing higher education are pressing and how Lehigh chooses to respond to them is defining for the university.
“In a moment that is in many ways the most challenging higher education has seen, Lehigh is extraordinarily well-positioned,” he said.
He said the university has been engaged in important conversations this year, including how it reaffirms its commitment to free expression and open inquiry, marking Lehigh’s formal adoption of the Chicago Principles after years of discussion.
The Chicago Principles are a model free speech policy created by the University of Chicago that over 100 universities have since ratified pledging to protect the freedom of expression.
According to the principles, a university may restrict expression that violates the law, defames or threatens an individual, or is incompatible with the functioning of the university. The policy also states the university may restrict the time, place and manner of expression to ensure it doesn’t disrupt the university’s ordinary activities.
“These are narrow exceptions to the general principle of freedom of expression, and it is vitally important that these exceptions never be used in a manner that is inconsistent with the university’s commitment to a completely free and open discussion of ideas,” according to the principles.
Those who drafted the Lehigh-specific preamble to the principles have presented to both the Faculty Senate and Student Senate this semester for input ahead of the formal adoption of the policy, which was approved by the Board of Trustees this month.
The Lehigh preamble states the Chicago Principles have been adopted to promote open and respectful dialogue on campus.
“It is expected that the Chicago Statement will be used as a principled guidepost for future decisions regarding freedom of expression within the University,” according to the preamble.
In the video, Helble said the preamble clearly designates that Lehigh holds commitments to both free expression and fostering a community of belonging.
Helble also said the university is launching “Real,” a new brand campaign that is a “strategic expression of Lehigh that highlights what makes Lehigh distinctive.”
He concluded the video by saying both the adoption of the principles and the new brand campaign are important milestones that reflect the university’s forward thinking approach.