Been meaning to get to this for some time: a week or so ago, Students for a Free Culture approved what they are calling the “Wheeler Declaration”, a short definition of what defines an “Open University”:

An open university is one in which

• The research the university produces is open access.
• The course materials are open educational resources.
• The university embraces free software and open standards.
• If the university holds patents, it readily licenses them for free software, essential medicines, and the public good.
• The university network reflects the open nature of the internet.

where “university” includes all parts of the community: students, faculty, administration.

Two thoughts:

• It’s in no way a surprising document, but it is an elegant statement which is going to serve the Free Culture movement well. Having worked on such statements before, I can tell you people underestimate how difficult it can be to keep these simple and meaningful. They done it, and they done it good.
• I love the ending, which is something so often forgotten in the open education movement: openness does not end with the classroom. It shouldn’t be a special burden on faculty alone. There’s much to be gained from encouraging students and staff to share their work with the world, and to find more transparent ways of operation, thoughtout the institution.

All my personal opinions, of course — but wondering what others think.