WASHINGTON, DC—Brandeis University has affirmed what it calls the “Principles of Free Speech and Free Expression,” laying the groundwork for the free exchange of ideas that is vital to providing academically rigorous higher education.
ACTA welcomes these initial steps committing the institution to provide an environment for intellectual diversity. Now the University has an opportunity to remedy its poor track record on this issue. In November 2017, Brandeis canceled an upcoming play about the comedian Lenny Bruce—ironically an early champion of free expression—after students and faculty complained about its content. In 2014, the institution reversed plans to present Ayaan Hirsi Ali with an honorary degree, after some of her controversial comments on Islam elicited scrutiny from the campus community and the public.
It is always a welcome development when an institution of higher learning publicly embraces the Chicago Principles or other policies that protect freedom of expression. Ultimately, such gestures are only credible when they are followed by concrete steps by the institution’s leadership, administrators, faculty, and students to create an arena for vibrant discussion and debate. Such measures will ensure that students are taught to listen respectfully to different viewpoints and debate them as necessary—instead of censoring uncomfortable views.
This guide for trustees reports on the dangerous decline of academic freedom and intellectual diversity on college campuses. The foreword, by Benno Schmidt, chairman of the CUNY Board of Trustees and former president of Yale, comes at a time when duly-invited graduation speakers are made unwelcome, campus speech codes threaten the free exchange of ideas, […]
This report features ten best practices, gleaned from colleges and universities across the country, for promoting the free exchange of ideas in and out of the classroom. Since intellectual diversity is at the core of any true university education, the report commends institutions that have taken action, urges them to keep at it, and exhorts […]
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
Discover MoreSign up to receive updates on the most pressing issues facing our college campuses.