A few years after World War II, faculty and administrators at the University of Wyoming were embroiled in a controversy. Were students being exposed to subversive and anti-American ideas? Should textbooks be censored?
UW President George Humphrey launched a committee of deans to review the books used in social sciences courses. Almost immediately another group of faculty, organized by the American Association of University Professors, objected to the inquiry.
Soon the press from as far away as New York were reporting on the issue. Many students agreed with the faculty, arguing that academic freedom and the university’s reputation was at stake.
Ultimately, the investigatory committee reviewed sixty-five books and declared them all “clean”. The UW Board of Trustees confirmed that the principles of academic freedom in Wyoming would not be sacrificed to the fear of communism.
See the University of Wyoming President’s Office records at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.
For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.