THE podcast: what to do when the principles of free speech are tested

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Academic freedom and free speech are the defining values of higher education institutions. But sticking to those principles becomes very difficult when polarising political events divide communities on and off campus. In this episode, free speech champion and chancellor of Vanderbilt University, Daniel Diermeier, discusses how academic leaders should respond to the Israel-Hamas war.

Civil discourse is part of Diermeier’s solution to tribalism on campus, and he gives examples of how that has been coached and encouraged at Vanderbilt. He also shares what is was like in the first few months of his chancellorship when researchers at Vanderbilt’s University Medical Center were on the cutting edge of Covid-19 vaccine development.

Spotlight: What can universities do to protect academic freedom?