VideosIntellectual Diversity
Dr. Dorian Abbot
Professor Abbot was the focus of a highly publicized cancellation in October 2021 when MIT administrators canceled...
Re “Brandeis Cancels Plan to Give Honorary Degree to Rights Advocate, a Critic of Islam” (news article, April 9):
Justice Louis D. Brandeis would be turning over in his grave. The university named after the former Supreme Court justice has illustrated the depths of small-minded bigotry and intolerance that now represent the culture on many campuses.
In rescinding an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Brandeis University has abandoned academic freedom and responsibility. Disinviting a controversial figure for fear of student backlash and upset sensitivities sends a perverse message that a college education must never dare offend.
How ironic that it was Justice Brandeis himself who understood that the essence of the free exchange of ideas—something to which virtually all universities nominally adhere—is “to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies,” not by “enforced silence.”
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni has been watching the spectacle of “disinvitation season,” when universities cave in to the loudest bullies.
We call on the Brandeis trustees in particular and higher education leaders everywhere to withstand this trend and to stand firm in defense of the free exchange of ideas—the essence of a liberal education.
Professor Abbot was the focus of a highly publicized cancellation in October 2021 when MIT administrators canceled...
As Vice President of Multimedia & Campus Partnerships, Doug advances ACTA’s messaging and digital media presence for our core audiences focused on issues of academic freedom, excellence...
With much fanfare, Cornell University President Martha Pollack recently announced that the theme of the 2023-24 academic year will focus on free expression, and she set up a Steering Committee for Free Expression to that end. As a faculty member who for the past three years has fought for free expression, open inquiry and academic freedom, and has fought against the diversity, equity and inclusion bureaucracy that stifles free expression, I was elated by the news.
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.