Free Speech on Campus: The Role of the University and its Leadership

University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer has been a visionary leader within the higher education space, working with his faculty and administration to establish the university’s Chicago Principles of Free Expression. These principles, which focus on what the role of a university should be, have been endorsed and/or adopted by more than 80 universities nationwide. In a special conversation with Cason Carter, Zimmer discussed the relationship between free speech and open inquiry, its relationship to the First Amendment, and how his principled leadership has led to a thriving academic culture on the University of Chicago’s campus. At a time when many questions are being asked about the value of the university, Zimmer’s example provides a model for university leaders across the country.