Resolution to Endorse the Creation of a Mutual Academic Defense Compact for Universities in the State of New Jersey in Defense of Academic Freedom, Institutional Integrity, and the Research Enterprise
Whereas, recent and escalating actions by governmental bodies pose a significant threat to the foundational principles of United States higher education, including the autonomy of university governance, the integrity of scientific research, and the protection of freedoms of inquiry, speech, and association;
Whereas, individual institutions have been targeted with legal, financial, and political incursion designed to undermine their public mission, silence dissenting voices, and/or exert improper control over academic inquiry;
Whereas, the New Jersey Constitution and the United States Constitution guarantee the rights to free speech, free inquiry, and due process, which are central to the mission of higher education;
Whereas, threats to one institution’s academic freedom endanger all institutions by setting dangerous precedents and eroding shared values, and a movement has started that creates mutual academic defense compacts in support of academic freedoms, including 13 universities in the “Big Ten” MADC, 4 universities in the Public and Land Grant MADC, and 5 universities in the New York State MADC, showing that institutions can and do cooperate on shared infrastructure, policy, and advocacy when mutual interests make us stronger together;
Whereas, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) affirms that we provide an educational environment characterized by academic freedom and intellectual inquiry, and our mission underscores the importance of empowering our faculty to sustain and enhance our communities;
Whereas, The New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (NJASCU), of which TCNJ is a member, supports the missions and well-being of public institutions of higher education and advocates for higher education as a public good, in a tradition of academic collaboration since 1985;
Whereas, New Jersey’s 11 public four-year higher education institutions serve over 170,000 students and employ over 24,000 instructional faculty, and the preservation of one institution’s integrity within the state of New Jersey is the concern of all, and an infringement against one of the universities in New Jersey shall be considered an infringement against all;
BE IT RESOLVED, that TCNJ’s Faculty Senate urges the President of TCNJ to formally propose and help establish a Mutual Academic Defense Compact (MADC) among all institutions of higher education in New Jersey committed to meaningful support for a shared defense infrastructure designed to respond immediately and collectively to attacks by governmental actors on any member institution in order to coordinate a unified and robust response, including but not limited to:
Public communication strategies to counter misinformation and defend academic principles, free speech, and institutional autonomy;
Maintaining regular communication and information sharing between MADC members to monitor threats and organize timely responses;
Shared services for strategic public communication; amicus briefs and expert testimony; legislative advocacy and coalition-building; and other legal interventions in response to any infringement on a university/college that is part of the MADC;
Legislative advocacy and coordinated policy engagement at the state and federal level;
The development of collaborative strategies and frameworks to diversify funding streams beyond the federal government.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate hereby establishes a Coordination Subcommittee for a Statewide Mutual Academic Defense Compact, which shall initiate dialogue with faculty senates at institutions across the state in order to draft a proposed framework for a MADC, including principles, mechanisms, and protocols for collective action, and coordinate with relevant campus legal, administrative, and governance stakeholders to ensure alignment with TCNJ institutional policy and academic freedom protections. This subcommittee will also serve as the liaison body for ongoing statewide coordination once a compact is ratified or adopted;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate directs its Executive Committee to invite participation in this MADC from other faculty senates across New Jersey and to coordinate with relevant professional associations, representative unions, and civil liberties associations.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President, Provost, and Board of Trustees at TCNJ, the executive director of NJASCU, the Council of New Jersey State College Locals, and appropriate state officials to initiate the implementation of the MADC and affirm the collective commitment to defend academic freedom, free expression, institutional autonomy, and the public mission of higher education in New Jersey.
Unanimously approved by the Faculty Senate May 21st 2025
Co-endorsed by Staff Senate and Student Government July 2025