Graves (2005) suggested that academic freedom might impede efforts to improve institutional performance and achieve the goals set for learning outcomes, cost efficiency, and preparing students for the workplace. The author's initial response to threats to academic freedom and calls for efficiency is to bristle, because he views these as threats to the very core of academia and the types of innovation, student-teacher exchanges, and fostering of intellectual pursuits that the educational system has promoted. Graves's point is that universities must meet students' and the public's expectations for educational outcomes and costs, and that academic leadership cannot achieve this if it manages its resources the way it has. The author agrees with Graves in asserting that academic freedom cannot be a reason to reject efforts at making instruction more effective or efficient. A related issue, worth pursuing, is whether it should allow for complete independence within the classroom.