Professors, could you — would you — challenge the prevailing point of view?

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

What’s the point of going to college? Building skills and networking for a future career are a big part of it, but exploring new ideas is a key piece, too. That’s why it’s so important for college administrators to foster a diversity of viewpoints among faculty.

But a recent study from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression shows there are many professors who are self-censoring — especially among moderates and conservatives. It’s a disservice to students when professors aren’t free to discuss and explore diverse viewpoints.

The survey showed 27% of more than 6,200 college professors “feel unable to speak freely for fear of how students, administrators, or other faculty would respond,” according to the study. Researchers found that 35% say they have “recently toned down their writing for fear of controversy.”

Professors should avoid tipping their hand about political views in the classroom. Simply pushing one’s beliefs onto impressionable young people isn’t a good teaching method. A professor’s job is to foster conversation, welcome new perspectives and challenge those perspectives using the knowledge they’ve amassed.

But when it comes to hiring decisions and conversations in the faculty lounge, administrators need to foster a culture that welcomes open discussion of controversial ideas.

Those are some of the most divisive issues of our time. They can be hard to talk about. But all that means is that searching for middle ground and mutual understanding is all the more important. That we disagree with someone doesn’t mean we can’t have a civil, honest conversation.

It’s a badly kept secret that much of higher education is dominated by progressive points of view. The survey indicated 52% of conservatives and 43% of moderates said they worry about damaging their reputation because of someone misunderstanding them, compared with 35% of liberals.

More concerning is that only 20% of faculty reported that a conservative individual would be a positive fit for their department, compared with 71% who say a liberal would be a positive fit.

While conservatives face the brunt of the impact, that’s not the whole story, the study says. Sometimes, broaching topics like racism and diversity, equity and inclusion can be hard in conservative states that have tried to tamp down those discussions.