University of San Diego to Host Debate on Free Speech on College Campuses

Are universities still a home to the free and robust exchange of competing ideas? Or has political correctness undermined that ideal?

As protests across America's college campuses question the foundations of free speech and open inquiry, the University of San Diego Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy will host a debate on the issue on Friday, March 9. The event takes place from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre and is free and open to the public.

The debate features Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and Stanley Fish, Professor of Humanities and Law at Florida International University.

Lukianoff, whose organization litigates on behalf of students, faculty and college organizations, believes that free speech is under severe threat on many college campuses - from faculty who wish to censor dissident views, from administrations who wish to protect the status quo, and from state legislators who seek to impose political agendas on universities.

Fish, a famed literary critic and author of "There's No Such Thing as Free Speech ... and It's a Good Thing Too," believes that the highest value for a university is the pursuit of truth and that free speech doesn't always promote that end.

For more information go to www.sandiego.edu/events/cas.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.