WASHINGTON, DC — The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) today released its newest Perspectives on Higher Education essay: Building a Culture of Free Expression on the American College Campus: Challenges & Solutions. The report is written by Professor Joyce Lee Malcolm, a distinguished historian and constitutional scholar at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University.
On a daily basis, higher education leaders grapple with issues surrounding free expression and the forces that protect or degrade it within the academy. A number of institutions have pioneered best practices to foster intellectual freedom, while others continue to enforce “safe spaces” and speech codes that limit the exploration of controversial political viewpoints. Recent surveys show that a significant percentage of students now favor limiting certain aspects of free speech on their campuses. Overall, American higher education is caught in a tug of war of opposing values on the importance of freedom of inquiry and speech.
In this timely essay, Dr. Malcolm outlines the pivotal historical and contemporary dynamics surrounding freedom of expression, and provides recommendations and best practices for higher education leaders to build and protect a campus culture of freedom of opinion and speech.
Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni observed: “Joyce Malcolm, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a leading authority on Constitutional law, has honored ACTA by serving on its Council of Scholars. In this important essay, she now brings a historian’s vision—and sense of urgency—to the challenges of preserving the freedom of thought and inquiry on which all higher education worthy of the name depends.”
-###-
CONTACT: Doug Sprei, dsprei@goacta.org
ACTA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic excellence, and accountability in higher education. We receive no government funding and are supported through the generosity of individuals and foundations. For more information, visit GoACTA.org, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter.
Higher education continues to grapple with issues surrounding free expression within the academy—and the actions that protect or degrade it. From colleges and universities that adopt the Chicago Principles for freedom of expression, to those that enforce “safe spaces” and speech codes on campus, there is a tug of war over the safeguarding of viewpoint diversity […]
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.