Joint Council of Distinguished Professors hosting academic freedom panels

LAWRENCE — The Joint Council of Kansas Distinguished Professors is hosting an afternoon of presentations and discussion on the important topic of academic freedom and responsibility in the era of social media. The public event is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.

The afternoon will feature a panel on academic freedom and responsibility and a panel on the era of social media. Each panel will have an opportunity for discussion, and the afternoon will conclude with a general discussion on the topics. A complete agenda is available online.

More than 100 active faculty at the three research universities of Kansas — the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Wichita State University  — share the honor of being known as distinguished professors, the highest academic rank. Their remarkable research efforts and the publications and graduate teaching those efforts support earned them this special recognition. On their campuses and within the state's scholarly community, they are recognized as educational leaders who have achieved excellence as scholars and as researchers.

In 1997, the state's distinguished professors formed the Joint Council of Kansas Distinguished Professors. Meeting together, they explore ways in which they can advance research and scholarship, can help guide the state's higher education policies, and can encourage ongoing investment in the three research universities of Kansas.