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1.5.6 Institutional Statements

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This Guide Memo was approved by the Provost.
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This statement was approved by the Faculty Senate on May 30, 2024.

1. Policy Statement

When speaking for the institution, Stanford University leaders and administrators should not express an opinion on political and social controversies, unless these matters directly affect the mission of the university or implicate its legal obligations. This policy draws on the rejection of institutional orthodoxy in Stanford’s 1974 Statement on Academic Freedom and aims to minimize the extent to which the university is subject to fluctuating political pressures.

​​When considering whether a measure directly affects the mission of the university, leaders and administrators should consider, among other factors, the nature of the university as a pluralistic forum in which “freedom of inquiry, thought, expression, publication, and peaceable assembly are given the fullest protection,” as well as Stanford’s Fundamental Standard.