What is a university if not a true marketplace of ideas — a place where scholarly pursuits in a wide range of subjects can be nurtured and questioned, where crosscurrents of diverse thought and perspectives can co-exist?
Today, students are challenged by the notion of an open society, tested on the one hand by values of free expression and on the other by a profound belief in inclusion. Most, if forced to choose, opt for the latter, and most draw the line at hate speech, disavowing its right to First Amendment protections. How are universities responding? And how should they?
The panel features University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer, Brown University president Christina Paxson, Aspen Institute CEO Dan Porterfield, and David L. Cohen, who is Chief Diversity Officer of Comcast.