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December 9, 2024
President Michael Schill announced today he has appointed a committee of distinguished senior faculty to examine the issues of free expression and institutional speech.
“Northwestern has a long history as a haven for intellectual exchange and academic freedom,” President Schill wrote in a message to the Northwestern community. “When I first arrived on campus in 2022, I highlighted the importance of engagement across difference, how a diversity of views can spark new discovery, and how freedom of expression is the very foundation of our University.
“At my inauguration, I spoke to these values and hosted a vigorous panel on the values of free expression in an increasingly diverse community.
“In the months since, worldwide events have sometimes strained our abilities to respectfully debate issues that we hold dear — but also have again laid bare why the concepts of academic freedom and freedom of expression are so important not just to the mission of our great University, but to solving the world’s problems.”
A key charge of the President’s Advisory Committee on Free Expression and Institutional Speech will be to propose a statement on free expression that reflects Northwestern’s values.
The group of 11 preeminent scholars from across disciplines will “examine the issue from different perspectives and, hopefully, with different viewpoints — the type of intellectual debate that lies at the very core of academic freedom,” President Schill wrote.
He has asked the panel to:
- Examine the boundaries, if any, for free expression and academic freedom in teaching, research and public discourse;
- Evaluate under what circumstances, if any, the University, its officers, academic departments or administrative units should make statements on behalf of their constituents about political, social or international matters; and
- Consider how the Northwestern community might embrace their recommendations as part of the University culture.
Committee members
Chaired by Professor Erin Delaney of the Pritzker School of Law, the Committee consists of:
- Henry Bienen, President Emeritus
- Eli Finkel, Professor of Social Psychology
- Vicky Kalogera, Daniel L. Linzer Distinguished University Professor and Director of CIERA
- Toni-Marie Montgomery, Professor and former Dean, Bienen School of Music
- Gary Saul Morson, Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities
- Milan Mrksich, Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Peter Slevin, Professor of Journalism
- Natasha Trethewey, Board of Trustees Professor of English
- Christopher Udry, Robert E. and Emily King Professor in Economics
- Mary Zimmerman, Professor and Jaharis Family Foundation Chair in Performance Studies
As it conducts its work, the panel will consult widely among various Northwestern constituents, examine the University’s charter, policies and history, and report findings and recommendations to President Schill.
