Asking candidates to write a statement expressing their relationship to various parts of a university’s mission is “a normal thing,” John Tomasi, president of Heterodox Academy, said this week during a visit to The Chronicle’s offices. “I think the difficulty is when the perception or the reality is that the evaluative criteria that are being used to check the goodness of your answer, the fit of your answer, invokes a politically or morally contentious set of criteria.”

Some faculty have been organizing against imperially minded administrators who push troubling identity politics at their institutions. Others have been standing up for academic freedom, open debate, and free speech in groups like Heterodox Academy

“We’re here to promote our values,” Tomasi said. “Not criticize.” Tomasi said the intent of the events would be to erode a college’s silos and bring in more faculty and administrators to Heterodox Academy’s cause. At the very least, he said, the faculty and officials involved with the Campus Communities can add to conversations about the mission of their respective institutions — ensuring open inquiry and viewpoint diversity are valued.

John Tomasi, who became the first president of Heterodox last year after a quarter-century as a political philosopher at Brown University, sees the mission of Campus Communities as more collaborative than confrontational. “We’re not critics who are from the outside. We’re insiders who love our universities and are trying to make them better,” he told me. “Our mission is to improve the culture of teaching and research, and I think to improve that culture, you really need to be working on the campuses where that culture exists.”

Furthermore, faculty are well-advised to create (or join existing) non-partisan associations aimed at defending these values on campus, and, at a national level, organizations such as Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Academic Freedom Alliance and Heterodox Academy. Professional organizations should prioritize the defense of academic freedom and free speech of their members.

Universities can’t serve society as a whole if fear of backlash keeps brilliant thinkers from sharing their thoughts. “Academia is supposed to encourage free thinking, not enforce one orthodoxy,” contends John Tomasi, the president of pro-free-thinking Heterodox Academy. “Great minds do not always think alike.” No, unpopular ideas won’t always prove right — but even when wrong, they can expose faults in the previous consensus. And if they go unheard, true progress becomes impossible.

“A William F. Buckley, Jr. Program survey showed similar results, as did a three-year comparative report by Heterodox Academy. The Buckley Program found that 63% of students feel intimidated sharing their views if they differ from their peers and classmates. And Heterodox Academy found that students increasingly agreed, from 54.7% in 2019 to 63.5% in 2021, with the statement: “The climate on my campus prevents some people from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive.””

“John Tomasi, whose research and writing concern libertarian ideology, held views markedly different from the liberal consensus on campus, advocating for free speech on campus for the 27 years he taught at Brown before leaving to lead the Heterodox Academy.”

“When it comes to sharing their views, 80 percent of students say they self-censor, according to a joint survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and RealClearEducation. The primary reason students say they don’t express their authentic views, according to a Heterodox Academy survey, is fear of peers taking offense. Many even worry that sharing their thoughts will cause others “harm”.”

“A recent survey from Heterodox Academy found the percentage of students who believe the political and social climate on their college campus hampers free speech rose from 55% in 2019 to 64% in 2021.”

“Leaders with the national alliance say it is hoping to create something more powerful, and lasting, than a typical alumni letter-writing campaign or petition that flares up and quickly dies away. National free-speech advocacy groups such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Academic Freedom Alliance and Heterodox Academy have offered advice, support, coordination and some individual programs such as sponsored debates.”

“The findings of a growing number of surveys, based on interviews with thousands of students around the country, reflect this duality in the way students think and feel about the state of campus speech. According to one recent study by the Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit devoted to promoting viewpoint diversity, almost all students believe passionately in the need for an open culture of debate. About nine out of every 10 students agreed that “colleges should encourage students and professors to be open to learning from people whose beliefs differ from their own.” Nearly as many believe that “colleges should welcome students and professors with a lot of different points of view.””

“Although college and university students overwhelmingly want their campuses to be open to expression and different ideologies, less than half say they are willing to share their personal views because of barriers at their institutions. Those results come from a three-year study done by Heterodox Academy as part of its Campus Expression Survey, which showed that some students not only are watching what they say when it comes to politics but are also tamping down conversations on religion, race, gender and sexual orientation.”

“Heterodox Academy (HxA), a New York City-based nonprofit that advocates for open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in higher ed, will be awarding three people its Open Inquiry Awards, one of whom is Benedict College President Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis.”

“Heterodox Academy (HxA), a New York City-based nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in higher education, will recognize three exceptional individuals with Open Inquiry Awards this June.”

“Founded in 2015 by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, co-author of the best seller “The Coddling of American Mind”, the Heterodox Academy is one of the most courageous and successful projects in the world. world to pursue the mission that is increasingly urgent in higher education: the diversity of ideas. In January of this year, political philosophy professor John Tomasi, from Brown University, took over the helm of the organization, which has more than five thousand members in more than 26 countries. In an unprecedented interview with Gazeta do Povo, the president of the Heterodox Academy (HxA) talks about the value of a university environment where conservatives feel comfortable and guarantees that the model is replicable in Brazil.”

“There are also institutions rising to address the necessity of ensuring the robust exchange of ideas on campus and in American society at large. Chief among them is Heterodox Academy, whose tagline is ‘Great minds don’t always think alike, so we need to think together.’ Heterodox Academy was created by Jonathan Haidt and his partners to address the troubling results for productive research and learning of imposing uniformity of opinion on institutions of higher education, which are intended to be the locus of curiosity, intellectual humility and the quest for knowledge. The institution and its new president, John Tomasi, lead the way in pressing for an important conversation about the necessity of ‘open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in institutions of higher learning.’ “

“With a societal push for social justice reform and political issues becoming less about politics and more about human rights issues, encouraging active political involvement at a younger age is more important than ever… Heterodox Academy said in a study, that in recent years more and more college students are hesitant to discuss race, gender, sexuality and politics in the classroom. This self-censorship is due to students fearing being ostracized or canceled for their political beliefs. In some cases, they do not speak up because their views may not be popular opinions among other students.”

“John Tomasi, president of Heterodox Academy and a professor at Brown University, comments that the single word that best describes his students’ culture and affect is ‘vigilant.’ This makes sense: If you can’t trust your elders and your institutions to be ethical, you have to be constantly on the alert yourself. You are responsible for ensuring moral outcomes, so you must be vigilant, with your purchases, your social media posts, your parents, your language and your peers.”

” ‘Students of all political persuasions hold back—in class discussions, in friendly conversations, on social media—from saying what we really think.’ [Emma Camp] backed up her observations with survey data… Additionally, for three years running, Heterodox Academy has published its Campus Expression Survey, which found that 60% of college students expressed reluctance to discuss controversial topics on campus.”

“National surveys indicate a rise in the number of college students reluctant to share views on controversial topics in the classroom. In a survey conducted by Heterodox Academy, three out of five students said they self-censored due to fears “other students would criticize my views as offensive,” while one out of three students worried “the professor would say my views are wrong.” With a high level of liberal leanings in professors at traditional universities, some more conservative ideas seem to be, and often are, verboten.”

“Sixty percent of college students said they were reluctant to speak about at least one controversial topic—politics, religion, race, sexual orientation or gender—a new survey from Heterodox Academy found.”

“A report in January by the Legatum Institute, a think-tank in London, found that half of academics in elite American universities feel the need to self-censor… A second strand is trying to reform the academy from within. Leading the way is the Heterodox Academy (hxa) in New York. Founded in 2015, it uses workshops and conferences to connect and equip academics to promote ‘open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement’ on their campuses.”

“Meanwhile, in the United States, the percentage of Americans who do not ‘feel free to speak their mind’ has more than tripled from 13% in 1954 to 48% in 2015. According to a report by Heterodox Academy, 62% of college students agree that their campus climate prevents students from saying what they believe.”

“The Political Theory Project makes clear in its mission statement its commitment to viewpoint diversity and freedom of speech and expression… According to Heterodox Academy’s 2020 Campus Expression Survey, 62 percent of college students felt that their campus climate prevented students from saying things they believed. This is why places such as the PTP… need to exist.”

“Mr. Kanelos notes that more than 6 in 10 students say that the climate on campus has deterred them from saying what they believe, according to a survey by Heterodox Academy… ‘Universities have a responsibility to be actively engaged in creating a culture of civil discourse,’ says Mr. Kanelos.”

“In a new Debate Paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute, Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation, says universities and the Government should adopt the famous political idea of One Nation to reshape universities in England… the paper calls for an English version of the Heterodox Academy to provide resources, develop training and support universities on tackling the problems around hostile and unprofessional online behaviour.”

“Regarding student affairs, the [Bipartisan Policy Center] report recommends that campus free expression be a focus of first-year orientation and formally addressed with students periodically thereafter… Members also recommend the OpenMind platform and Heterodox Academy’s ‘All Minus One’ booklet, among other materials, to build campus speech-related skills and habits of mind.”

“Despite heroic efforts from organizations such as Heterodox Academy and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, many reformers seem to be slowly giving up, having concluded that backlash from the left dooms their effort. Entirely new institutions may be the better option.”

“John Tomasi, the incoming president of Heterodox Academy, which promotes a diversity of views on campus, said he saw something very American about the combination of what he called “edginess” and a search for “truth” in the mission of the new university. ‘It’s an interesting cocktail of typically American ingredients — defiance and optimism,’ he said.”

“…the admirable efforts of Heterodox Academy, founded by the politically unclassifiable psychologist Jonathan Haidt in 2015 to defend the place of viewpoint diversity and ‘constructive disagreement in institutions of higher learning,’ are more important than ever.”

“To faculty, he [Dorian Abbot] advises that ‘cancellation tactics work by isolating the target and fostering an atmosphere of fear. You can help by joining together with others committed to academic freedom. I recommend organizations like AFA, FIRE, Heterodox Academy, and ACTA. If you are ever tempted to join a cancellation mob, remember that you could be the next one on the chopping block.’ “

“My old friend John Tomasi, newly installed as the President of the Heterodox Academy, has written a lovely, stimulating, little essay in praise of curiosity. I encourage you to read it.”

“The schools themselves should cultivate a reputation for open-mindedness and objectivity rather than pursuing moral crusades. Also, university administrators need to get pushback from organizations committed to liberalism and freedom of inquiry, so they don’t just cave in to wokest protesters that make life most miserable for them, organizations like Heterodox Academy and Academic Freedom Alliance.”

” ‘What HxA is really about is this positive mission of not fighting against bad things but rather trying to build good things and trying to support the best aspects of the American educational system,’ Tomasi said. ‘We do that by encouraging critical reasoning, viewpoint diversity and what I think of as something like free curiosity. HxA stands up for those kinds of values and encourages people to look for barriers that are preventing curiosity, that are preventing the free expression of our intellect, that are preventing the free exploration of ideas.’ “

“Take a risk and make a new friend who disagrees with you. Maybe your new ‘subversive friend’ will be a Christian like me, a Marxist, an LGBTQ activist, a conservative or progressive. But set aside unhelpful labels and be curious about the person who, I hope, is sharing a hearty meal and a cold beverage with you. Raise your glasses to the First Amendment, which makes it possible for such friendships to thrive amid our deepest differences.”

“Concerned individuals span the political spectrum, but to a person they worry about narrowing ‘viewpoint’ and ‘ideological’ diversity on campuses across the country… For those feeling on their heels, Heterodox Academy even publishes a guide to help navigate the realities of the modern university…”

“In a survey of 445 professors conducted last year by Heterodox Academy, over half said that they believed expressing a dissenting view at work could harm their careers.”

“As we’ve observed in other politically charged arenas, the topic of race has become so binary that progress becomes measured in ideological conceits, rather than in lives changed.”

“Visitors to sites like AllSides seek out views at odds with their own; they enjoy discussing political differences more than the fleeting satisfaction of tribal disputes on Facebook. Some are troubled by how their friend circles and social media followers mirror their own beliefs. A few, such as Candler, are looking to understand friends or acquaintances with differing political stances.”

“The alternative to viewpoint diversity is an academic culture of homogeneity and conformity. Universities have become political institutions that prefer fidelity to the prevailing ideological view. Students who seek educations rather than indoctrination should beware.”

“What we are witnessing is a paradigm shift, as a new generation of thought leaders grapples with some of the pressing issues of our time, and as a new cohort of activists, on campus and elsewhere, deploys a new language to advance a variety of causes, from climate change to transgender rights… Today, any discussion of this new discourse inevitably raises the specter of a supposedly intolerant ‘cancel culture’ with its purportedly rigid strictures of ‘political correctness.'”

“…Western universities would demonstrate a softer commitment to core university values in the age of microaggressions, trigger warnings and emotional safe spaces. These have transformed the university’s mission from challenging ideas to coddling snowflakes. Academics being de-platformed, cancelled, censured, disciplined, fired and disinvited has become commonplace.”

“I think the intolerant attitude of graduate students and young academics helps to scare off dissenting research, repels conservatives from academia, and contributes to the growing intolerance of the academy,” Kaufmann said. “There are more intolerant progressive activists entering onto committees at every level, pushing initiatives such as bias reporting, unconscious bias training or decolonizing the curriculum, all of which tend to violate academic freedom.”

“I think it’s true that many people would rather violate their stated principles than be iced out of their social network. But this is a situation that goes beyond getting shunted to a bad table at the Robin Hood gala. To resist this ideology is to go against the entire institutional world.”

“Mr. Pack was particularly dismayed that his film was pulled during Black History Month. ‘Clarence Thomas, to my mind, is the most important African-American leader in America today,’ he said, adding that people ought to be exposed to a range of black opinions. He’s right, and what Amazon has done is a disservice to anyone—black or white—who is interested in the rich history of black Americans.”

“This is the new phase in America’s education culture war: the use of state power to suppress ‘woke’ speech and viewpoints. No longer content to compete at the level of ideas, and upset with what they see as a dangerous and un-American ideology, legislators in New Hampshire are trying to get the government to forbid it. And they’re not alone.”

“This is the point of Heterodox Academy — encouraging people not to wait for other people to step up, but encouraging our members to take point themselves, to themselves intervene in these debates, and themselves take the lead in reforming the institutions they are embedded in.”

This week’s Capitol riots have been repeatedly described as “unthinkable.” Yet happen they did, so how do we start to think about them? Many academics have an answer: the humanities.

Americans are not collectively trusting of faculty whatsoever and this is more proof of what happens when the academy becomes politicized and the search for truth becomes both prejudiced and biased.

‘Splitting’ is a defense mechanism by which we frame ideas or people in all-or-nothing terms.

Domestic peacekeepers are speaking out with everything they’ve got—reminding this country about its historic capacity to hold and work through serious disagreements productively. It’s time to listen before it’s too late.

In the service of seeking truth, there would seem to be value in intellectual diversity, both in keeping ourselves honest and in the possibility of new ideas coming from unexpected quarters. That’s true in the natural sciences, but even more so in the humanities and social sciences, where the right/wrong distinction is sometimes less clear. But academia isn’t always diverse; as an empirical fact, there are a lot more liberals on university faculties than there are conservatives. I talk with Musa al-Gharbi about why this is true — self-selection? discrimination? — the extent to which it’s a real problem, and how we should better think about the value of diverse viewpoints.

Jeffrey Aaron Snyder and Amna Khalid explore the thorny issues surrounding classroom recordings, “reasonable accommodations” and academic freedom.

The College Free Speech Rankings project, a joint undertaking by FIRE, College Pulse, and RealClearEducation released their report last week. Based on a survey of nearly 20,000 students at 55 colleges, this is the largest-ever examination of how conducive colleges and universities are to free expression.

This project clearly showcases that while national level data can present certain general impressions of campus free-speech climate, there is immense value in grounding our analysis in campus-specific factors to understand how students read the free speech environment of their schools.

President Trump’s order criticizes training that “perpetuates racial stereotypes and division and can use subtle coercive pressure to ensure conformity of viewpoint.” The text then states: “Research also suggests that blame-focused diversity training reinforces biases and decreases opportunities for minorities.”

While it’s unclear whether colleges — many of which receive federal grants — would face consequences under the order, the directive has reignited debate around diversity training and whether it does any good.

The issue is top of mind for college leaders, who are grappling with higher education’s broader reckoning over racial injustice and facing greater pressure from students and others to require such training for faculty and staff members.

What does the research actually say about diversity training’s effectiveness?

Ben Klutsey talks to Ilana Redstone about critical thinking and intellectual humility.

Some fear for their career because they don’t believe progressive orthodoxies.

For years now, one of the most constant features across a wide array of institutions has been diversity and inclusion programming, with many making it a top priority. Yet, much of that programming has not had the desired effect. This is a chance to do better.

Is a self-consciously conservative approach to the humanities and social sciences desirable? Prominent right-leaning scholars are skeptical.

COVID-19 is offering leaders the opportunity to re-envision higher ed—fostering more open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement

The psychologist shares his thoughts on the pandemic, polarization, and politics.

This post explores some of the findings from these campus-specific surveys, and when appropriate to do so, compares them to each other and to the national survey data available. These analyses help to demonstrate how national surveys of college students can obscure considerable variation between campuses, but also help identify broad trends that may be occurring among the current cohort of college students regardless of the school they attend.

In a time of heightened political tension, Jonathan Haidt has a good idea of what’s driving this polarized atmosphere around the world. He is a social psychologist who believes social media has transformed in recent years to become an “outrage machine,” spreading anger and toxicity. He sits down with Hari to discuss this difficult problem and what the possible solutions could be.

There are all kinds of ways that people talk about identity and diversity these days.

Controversies over free speech on college campuses are in the news seemingly every week, whether it’s an unpopular guest speaker being shouted down, a voluntary student group being banned from campus, or a professor losing his job over something he said in the classroom. While most Americans consider open inquiry and academic freedom essential to the mission of a university, the debate over what can or cannot be said on campus is far from settled at most schools today.

Surveys show that the already strong leftish orientation among faculty has strengthened over the years. At the same time, however, there is a smaller but growing counter movement.

People are unsatisfied with the changes being made towards diversity and inclusion.

According to some critics of higher education, as college students around the country head back to class, they will search in vain for classroom debate where all opinions are welcome.

The political leanings of highly educated or intelligent people tend not to be any more rational or informed than anyone else’s.

A few weeks ago, at a National Conservativism conference in Washington D.C., one of the speakers, the University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax, argued that the United States would be “better off if our country is dominated numerically…

Attendees at the Heterodox Academy conference in New York participated in frank discussions about how to address complex issues from free speech to building community.

If you want to send your youngster to colleges that are seriously committed to civil and diverse debate, pick up a copy of the June 2019 edition of Reason magazine for some guidance.

These schools are seriously committed to civil and diverse debate.

If progressive academics want to work with ‘the people,’ then we’ll have to meet ‘the people’ where they are.

Conservatives play an essential role as gatekeepers. Vetting some of the left’s perspectives and ideas, even in this polarized environment, could resonate with their base.

Open inquiry and constructive disagreement are essential for allowing institutions of higher learning to advance their missions of education and discovery. Yet increasingly, professors and students alike are describing the toll that fear of being publicly reprimanded for your ideas—and thus choosing to withhold those ideas from classroom discussions—is having on campus culture and the pursuit of knowledge.

Authors talked about free speech on American campuses. The participants were Mark Lilla, author of The Once and Future Liberal; Nadine Strossen, author of Hate; April Kelly-Woessner, author of The Still Divided Academy; Samuel Abrams, author of Education and the Commercial Mindset; and Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind

The most effective policymakers weave together the best ideas from a range of perspectives in order to address society’s most intractable problems.

For all the student speech that’s being squashed on college campuses these days, higher education faces an even-more serious threat: intellectual conformity among professors, researchers, and scholars. Over the past 25 years, for instance, the “American academy went from leaning left to being almost entirely on the left. Similar trends and problems are occurring in the UK and Canada.”

Debra Mashek, executive director at Heterodox Academy, spoke with Bold hosts Carrie Sheffield and Clay Aiken about free speech on university campuses and how academia has a shared responsibility to allow for open inquiry.

Amid recent tumult in academia, where student protests have been common and clashes over free speech and intellectual inquiry have made national headlines, these academics agreed with the view that university life requires encountering different perspectives in an environment where people are free to constructively challenge one another.

A string of protests on college campuses that shut down events hosting conservative speakers has prompted universities around the country to pledge more tolerance for diverse opinions, but skeptics say they’ll believe it when they see it.

What does the science of social psychology have to tell us about the current challenges and threats to free speech? A great deal, according to Dr. Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Wesleyan president Michael S. Roth on why universities need affirmative action for the study of conservative, libertarian and religious ideas

An unorthodox professor explains the ‘new religion’ that drives the intolerance and violence at places like Middlebury and Berkeley.

Northwestern University’s student government passed a bold and sweeping resolution this month asking the school to recommit to its existing speech-protective policies, resist censorship attempts from both internal and legislative sources, and prioritize intellectual and viewpoint diversity as part of ongoing inclusiveness efforts.

In a move to expose students to more diverse viewpoints, colleges and universities have invited controversial figures to speak, resulting in disruptive protests. Here’s a look at how three schools are drawing the line between the free exchange of ideas and the right to protest those ideas.

The moral of the recent melee at Middlebury College, where students shouted down and chased away a controversial social scientist, isn’t just about free speech, though that’s the rubric under which the ugly incident has been tucked. It’s about emotional coddling. It’s about intellectual impoverishment.

Frank Bruni, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and NYU professor Jonathan Haidt discuss free speech on college campuses, following recent violence at Middlebury College and UC Berkeley.

If you are organising a university party, beware that fancy dress could encourage cultural appropriation. If you are planning a talk on feminism, remember that Germaine Greer will be no-platformed for transphobia. If you are teaching a literature course, always use trigger warnings for difficult material — language is violence.

“The interaction between a student and an institution is not the same as the interaction between a student and a refrigerator.”

If you’ve spent time in a college or university any time in the past quarter-century you probably aren’t surprised to hear that professors have become strikingly more liberal.

The chart on the right comes from Heterodox Academy, a group founded a few months ago to promote more ideological diversity on university campuses. What it shows is unsurprising: over the past few decades, university faculties have become almost entirely liberal.