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Heterodox Academy

The HxA Campus
Community Network

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HxA members come together to promote the values of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement on their campus.

Each Campus Community is led by two or three co-chairs from the campus, with financial and advisory support from HxA. Over time, these campus-based groups will grow and develop in different ways, based on the unique opportunities and challenges of each institution. Members of each Campus Community support each other’s mission-driven efforts, showcase and model HxA values, and improve institutional policies, practices, and culture.

The Campus Community Network is a natural extension of the virtual HxCommunities launched in 2018, now totaling over two dozen communities with nearly 3,000 participants. Campus Communities give HxA members opportunities to work directly on their campuses with peers and supporters to foster positive culture change. We grow the Network by cohorts. Application periods will open periodically throughout the year.

Note: Campus Communities are not officially sanctioned groups of their college or university
Conversation

Core Activities

Campus Communities will lay the groundwork for long-term success by cultivating a strong group of faculty, administrators, staff, and students. Each Community will evolve in their own unique way, while focusing on various activities that best serve their campus.
  • Host monthly gatherings to plan, socialize, and share experiences and advice.

  • Host academic activities and practical workshops aligned with HxA values.

  • Work with institutional leaders about the policies and practices that shape intellectual culture in the specific context of each local institution.

  • Recruit HxA members on their campus.

Opportunities

More Opportunities

As the Campus Community Network grows in size and influence, HxA will make additional resources and programs available to Campus Communities by application.
  • Hosting large, campus-wide HxA events on their campus with support from HxA, in addition to the opportunity to host programs at HxA’s annual conference.

  • Intellectual retreats, workshops, and training for Campus Community leaders.

  • Local administration of Campus Expression Survey.

  • Additional grant opportunities as advertised.

Support

Support from HxA

HxA provides each Campus Community with intensive consulting and annual financial support for campus activities. In addition, Communities receive peer support from across the Network.
  • Campus Community leaders participate in a full day virtual orientation workshop with leaders from Communities across their cohort.

  • All Campus Community members gain access to The Quad — a private online community space for all of our Campus Communities.

  • HxA provides resources, advice, and technical support for event planning, community building, member recruitment, communications, media training, and more.

  • Each Community has a public page on the HxA website where donors can support the Community directly.

Campus Communities

Our Campus Community Network includes a variety of colleges and universities throughout North America, from community colleges and faith-based institutions to research universities and Ivy league universities.

News from the Network

HxA’s vision, ‘great minds don’t always think alike’, sets the standard for viewpoint diversity and inclusion. It’s time we consider diversity and inclusion in the context of internal demographics.

Nafees AlamAssistant Professor, School of Social WorkBoise State University
Nafees alam

HxA's greatest strength is its membership. The Campus Community Network is an exciting opportunity for HxA to directly partner with its members, and to learn from, support, and elevate their work.

Christine RichardsDirector of MembershipHeterodox Academy
Christine Richards
Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re interested in starting a Campus Community, please review our FAQ to understand our program, expectations, eligibility, and application process.

HxA has long supported specific member communities, many of whom have hosted events and conducted research on campus. In their work to Reclaim the Culture of Higher Education, HxA members have increasingly sought ways to connect in-person and engage with questions of policy and leadership that are central to campus culture. Creating HxA Campus Communities is a natural next step.

Campus Communities are led by 2-3 co-chairs who are HxA members and currently affiliated with the institution as faculty, staff, administrator, or graduate students. We ask that co-chairs plan to be at their institution for at least the first 2-3 years of launching their Campus Community, though we understand that academic life may include employment changes. A founding group may include up to 2 undergraduate students as “undergraduate affiliates” who are also HxA members. This is optional.

Campus Community chairs must be HxA members (if you are not one, you can apply to join here). This is a volunteer role and it is not compensated, though Campus Communities do receive financial support for group activities.

In the spirit of viewpoint diversity, HxA encourages applicant groups that include diverse perspectives along disciplinary, political, and other lines. Retired/emeritus faculty and staff are welcome to be involved in group planning but should not be lead applicants.

Campus Communities are meant to bring together members of the same institution, including for in-person meetings and events. A state university system is probably too large for a single Campus Community, but a college with nearby extension campuses might be just fine.

We accept applications during specified periods (please sign up for our mailing list to receive announcements), and accept new Campus Communities in cohorts. There is no predetermined number for each cohort. HxA will consider all completed applications and approve Campus Communities based on available resources and applicant readiness.

It depends on the specifics of the existing group’s structure and membership. Please inquire by email to CampusCommunities@heterodoxacademy.org.

No. The mission and core activities will be the same everywhere. The specific form and focus of different Campus Communities will vary based on local needs, interests, and circumstances.

Co-chairs and undergraduate affiliates are required to be HxA members (if you are not one, you can apply to join here). Campus Communities are encouraged to invite regular participants to become HxA members, and a larger group of HxA members will be helpful in gaining access to certain programs.

That being said, HxA Campus Communities and their events should be “porous” and welcoming to all, particularly at campus-wide events.

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Access The Quad

The Quad is the virtual home of the Campus Community Network. In The Quad, members of Campus Communities can find resources from HxA, as well as various spaces to connect with other Campus Community members, ask questions and learn from each other, and share success stories.

The Quad is an invite-only space.

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