The Yale report was really good but in summary I prefer Kevin Bryan’s Eight Commandments:
1. Produce and Teach Useful Information
Universities exist to produce and teach useful knowledge. This information is based on skeptical investigation, empirical evidence, and logical deduction. “Useful” includes not only practical applications but also fundamental discoveries that expand our understanding of the world, even if their benefits are long-term.
2. Be Helpful to the Whole Community
Universities are only funded if society as a whole finds them useful. Research may take time to bear fruit, but its insights should ultimately benefit society, be freely discussed and accessible, and presented with great humility. Teaching should be done carefully and based on the latest research.
3. Attract Talent Across Society
Useful information can be created by people from any social or economic background. Don’t waste talent. Don’t select talent based on who knows “how to play the game”. Avoid unfamiliar language or practices that discourage people from participating in the survey.
4. Neutral, Objective Research Produces Useful Information
Research should be neutral and objective. It is true that everyone has their own background and preferences; however, unbiased research is still possible. Culture, folklore, and storytelling all have important roles in society, but they are not the goals of universities. There is no “Western science” or “ways of knowing” that are culturally determined. Rather, research is open to everyone and can be done equally regardless of background.
5. Hire, Promote, and Cite Based on Knowledge Contribution
Employment, promotion, and citation must be based on an individual’s contribution to knowledge. Bias, group favoritism, and adherence to certain “schools of thought” corrupt this process. If development is not based on proper profit, society will question our integrity and the purpose of our achievements.
6. Keep Your Opinions Out of Research and Teaching
A scholar’s personal politics should not be reflected in his research and teaching. If the findings are predicted based on the author’s identity or known opinions, the process has failed. Objectivity is the hallmark of reliable science. Academics can hold private beliefs like everyone else, but their academic work should be separate from them.
7. Research Fraud Is Not Acceptable
Fraud destroys trust. Misrepresentation of results, selective reporting, or methods designed to publish rather than find are also dangerous. Confirmed fraud should result in immediate dismissal, as it violates the primary purpose of education.
8. Scientific Institutions Should Be Political
Universities, journals, and scientific societies must remain impartial. Their public statements should be rare, limited to matters of direct professional consensus, and made only when silence would be a greater threat to their integrity than speaking out. Activism sacrifices credibility for influence – or worse, sacrifices both credibility and influence.
I would add 9) Grades should be useful discriminators of talent.
