Through the Broyles Bills and McCarthyism, Vietnam protests and the Cold War, University leaders, faculty, students, and staff have defended and upheld the principles of free expression and academic freedom.
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In 2014, President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Eric Isaacs appointed a committee of University faculty to articulate “the University’s overarching commitment to free, robust, and uninhibited debate.” The resulting “Chicago Principles” have since been adopted by universities and colleges across the country.
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At a time of political polarization, President Paul Alivisatos outlines priorities for the “tough work” of upholding UChicago’s free expression principles.
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Free Expression: A University of Chicago Core Value
An education that fosters free expression empowers students to engage with challenging ideas – in college and throughout their lives. This video provides an overview of the Chicago Principles and the University of Chicago’s commitment to free expression in a setting of diverse perspectives.
“There is not an institution of learning in the country in which freedom of teaching is more absolutely untrammeled than in the University of Chicago.”
William Rainey Harper
First President of the University of Chicago