Ethical Dilemmas and the Dean’s Office

In my remarks, I will address ethical dilemmas that reach the Dean's office. In some cases, these are matters of academic freedom, broadly construed. To expose students to a broad range of perspectives, is it acceptable for an administration to suggest that departments hire faculty members who espouse unpopular political views? Given that professors and pundits may confuse academic freedom with freedom of speech, what role should the administration/colleagues play in such disputes? In another set of ethical dilemmas that reach the Dean's office, professorial autonomy can put a department or an institution at reputational risk. Given professorial autonomy, can/should the administration intervene when a professor is making a poor decision vis-a-vis a student that is, however, well within the professor's rights? What are our responsibilities as administrators/colleagues in such situations?