As always, thank you for the opportunity to share updates with this group.
It is hard to escape the external narrative that has called into question our commitment to free inquiry and free speech at Indiana University Bloomington in recent weeks. In response, I feel it is appropriate, while I have an audience with this group, to voice my commitment to these foundational values of higher education. As an intellectual beacon, excellence in teaching and scholarship must always be our north star.
At the public university to our north, I became quite familiar with FIRE in my role leading the campus initiative around free inquiry and free speech which earned it a ranking as the top public university for free speech.
As a social scientist, I have questions about the methodology FIRE uses. Some of their calculations reflect a lack of depth in discerning personnel actions related to legitimate bad behavior versus those that might point to free speech suppression. But whatever we think about their methodology, they can play an important role in holding universities accountable to free speech principles. And their impact in the media is undeniable.
There are universities convening thoughtful and important discussions on the topics of free inquiry and free speech. I have worked closely with the University of Chicago leadership responsible for standing up the Chicago Forum. I have had regular conversations with free speech alumni groups including one at MIT. And at Purdue, I worked to advance the trustees’ adoption of the Kalven Report, that supports institutional neutrality on social and political issues.
All of these will inform efforts to preserve IUB as the place that reflects the commitment to light and truth emblazoned on our seal. We will remain vigilant in our commitment to freedom of inquiry and the dissemination of ideas for the benefit of our students, our community of scholars, and the broader community around us.
Our labs and performance spaces must be home to the best scholarship and creative activity our colleagues can create.
Our classrooms must provide space for varied perspectives, guided by faculty to make sure that even across differences classroom discussions are productive, intellectually rigorous, and rooted in academics, not advocacy.
Our students must be introduced to and embrace the norms and values of free inquiry and free speech as members of our intellectual community. Efforts oriented around this effort will emerge in the coming year.
In all of our actions, there must be no doubt that we welcome spirited, thoughtful debate and an unquestioned commitment to discovery and creativity that celebrates and respects a wide range of points of view and honors the most revered scholarly traditions of Indiana University Bloomington.
As I mentioned earlier this semester, a committee has been assembled to create campus programming to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Last week, details of an internal grant competition were published in IUB Today. Proposals will be accepted until December 15 and will provide up to $5,000 for program costs of the winning submissions. I encourage you to share this opportunity with your colleagues. I am confident we will see many creative and thoughtful proposals that will be part of a memorable slate of activities. Again, I hope you will encourage colleagues to be a part of our campus celebration of the 250th.
These events can and should be one element of how we make certain that our IUB students understand and respect the commitment to free speech that is central to the founding of our country. At the same time, they can develop in our students the civics literacy they need to be informed and engaged citizens. I hope this group will engage around that topic and lead efforts to make certain this is part of their education at IUB.
That concludes my report. As we mark the final meeting of the semester, I want to thank you for your service to this group and even more your service as faculty members of this great university. Your commitment to your teaching and scholarship are the heart of IUB. Your work here is what makes this campus among the most important public research universities in American, and it honors the legacy of those who came before you.
I wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving, a productive end of the semester, and restful and restorative winter break.