Grant from Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Expands the Campus Free Expression Project to Support Independent Colleges During Election Year and Beyond
August 26, 2024
Fostering robust intellectual exchange and open inquiry is a core tenet of American democracy, and these principles have been recently tested in many communities and public fora across the country. Amid this turmoil, colleges and universities have the opportunity to reclaim their civic mission to prepare engaged and responsible citizens, but rising tribalism and political polarization challenge efforts to uphold these ideals on campus and prepare students to co-exist and collaborate with those who disagree with them. The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) has received a $180,000 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to meet these challenges and support academic leaders in creating consistent, principled approaches to civil discourse and free expression that can rebuild a culture of free expression on campuses.
The Campus Free Expression Project (CFEP) has moved to CIC to provide this support to academic leaders at its independent colleges and universities. Launched in 2019 at the Bipartisan Policy Center, the CFEP’s central goal is to promote open discourse and provide resources on college campuses to create independent thinkers and engaged citizens. The CFEP has deeply engaged legislators, policymakers, presidents, and other campus stakeholders in support of this effort. The CFEP brings trusted, tested approaches to meeting these leadership needs.
“In a changing higher education landscape where the spotlight is increasingly on higher education, presidents and other college leaders are looking for timely strategies to navigate campus situations related to free expression,” said CIC President Marjorie Hass. “I am pleased that we are able to continue the excellent work of the Campus Free Expression Project and offer resources and support to presidents, trustees, faculty, and administrators of independent colleges and universities.”
Management of the CFEP moved to CIC in July 2024, and Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, founding director of the CFEP, has joined CIC on a one-year contract. The CFEP will continue to provide valuable resources to academic leaders focused on supporting free expression and facilitating hands-on dialogue on campus, including publications, webinars, training sessions for academic leaders, and one-on-one consultations with presidents. The Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression, including the bipartisan co-chairs former governors Chris Gregoire (D-WA) and Jim Douglas (R-VT), will continue its work under the auspices of CIC. Douglas said, “We have a national civic skills deficit, and colleges have an essential role to play in addressing this crisis.” Gregoire added, “Presidents set the tone for their campuses on matters of free expression. The Council of Independent Colleges is known for its robust presidents network, and I’m glad that CIC will be the task force’s new home.”
CIC is releasing the updated reports to the task force’s signature publication, Campus Free Expression: A New Roadmap. Originally published in 2021, the Roadmap examines the factors that make free expression so challenging on a wide variety of campuses, with tailored advice for presidents, trustees, faculty members, and student affairs officers about advancing civil discourse and free expression to contribute to a collective campus policy. The Roadmap is particularly relevant to CIC’s membership of independent colleges and universities, as most of its authors on the Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression have led and serve at CIC member institutions, including Baylor University (TX), California Lutheran University, DePauw University (IN), Dillard University (LA), Middlebury College (VT), Rhodes College (TN), and the University of Richmond (VA).
CIC will also integrate webinars and hands-on training on supporting free expression and open dialogue on campus into its leadership development programs, including sessions at the 2024 Institute for Chief Academic Officers held just prior to the presidential election in November, the 2025 Presidents Institute, and the 2025 Executive Leadership Academy meetings for aspiring presidents and cabinet members. Through these events, CIC will amplify the work of the CFEP to reach hundreds of independent college and university campuses. In addition to these activities, CIC will work with Pfeffer Merrill to seek engagement opportunities on free expression to widen the impact of the CFEP and the use of the new Roadmap. Pfeffer Merrill will also contribute to CIC’s partnership with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) to develop an online course and credential to train faculty members in deliberative discourse.
“I am excited about this moment of opportunity when schools are looking for new approaches to uphold the ensuring academic values of civil discourse, free expression, and academic freedom,” said Pfeffer Merrill. “The Council of Independent Colleges’ commitment to student outcomes makes a terrific match for the Campus Free Expression Project’s focus on preparing students to engage respectfully with contrary views as students and as citizens.” CIC looks forward to supporting member institutions in preparing engaged citizens through this initiative and the new resources and leadership it provides.