Filtered by category: HEPI UK, tag: free speech × Clear
WEEKEND READING: Free speech, free labour and emeritus professors
The UK's Office for Students launched a free speech complaints scheme covering all former staff, but its press release specifically highlighted emeritus professors, prompting discussion about their ambiguous status. Emeritus titles are honorary with no employment rights, yet professors often expect continued library, email, and research facility access. Universities benefit from essentially free academic labour in return. Authors argue institutions should replace the informal arrangement with formal, time-limited contracts clarifying mutual obligations, or consider abandoning the title entirely.