Director of Alumni Advocacy and Curricular Fellow, College Debates & Discourse Alliance
Request an Interview Follow on Twitter/XAs ACTA’s Director of Alumni Advocacy, Dr. Paul supports the efforts of alumni to advance academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability at their alma maters. He builds partnerships with, consults, and creates tools and resources for alumni engaged in campus reform. He also conducts an annual summit for alumni leaders to facilitate networking and knowledge sharing.
In his role as the College Debates & Discourse Alliance Curricular Fellow, Dr. Paul promotes, supports, and moderates classroom and campus debates aimed at bolstering free expression on campus, modeling civil discourse, and connecting alumni with students and faculty. He collaborates closely with the Alliance team to enhance its curricular toolkit and share it with faculty across the nation. He also writes and speaks on the intersections of free expression, civil discourse, and alumni advocacy in higher education and the public sphere.
Prior to joining ACTA, Dr. Paul worked in public relations for various organizations in the United States. He received his doctorate (Ph.D. Communication) from the University of Missouri, specializing in political communication. Dr. Paul’s academic research focuses on public leadership and dialogue as well as media and politics. He also holds a master’s degree (M.A. Professional Communication) from Southern Utah University and a bachelor’s degree (B.A. Political Science, Philosophy Minor) from Brigham Young University. Dr. Paul is an active member of the National Communication Association.
Outside the office, Dr. Paul enjoys reading, running, watching movies, improving his golf and pickleball game, cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs and BYU Cougars, participating in the performing arts, and traveling with his family.
When thinking of college alumni, one generally imagines boosters donning their alma mater’s signature colors and cheering proudly for their team at homecoming games, or a multimillionaire being courted at campus events and donating substantial sums to fund an institution’s new building, sports complex, or...
ACTA's Emily Koons Jae and Bryan Paul recently sat down with Jenna Robinson, president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a nonprofit institute dedicated to improving higher education in North Carolina and the nation, to discuss the successes and shortcomings of higher ed reform in North Carolina.
It’s no secret that America’s colleges and universities are facing a troubling decline in viewpoint diversity and the willingness of students to openly express their opinions. Elite institutions like Yale sadly lead in this trend, with more and more students exercising self-censorship for fear of being attacked or ostracized by their peers. In her role at the helm of the Buckley Program and as alumni leader of Fight for Yale’s Future, Lauren Noble knows this phenomenon firsthand and is working vigorously to expand political discourse on campus and expose students to often-unvoiced views.
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