The Center for the Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona will host the First Conference on Academic Freedom, bringing leading national scholars to the University of Arizona campus for two days of rigorous and engaging discussion. The right to freedom in all its forms can often feel under attack, even on university campuses. However, this right to academic exploration and open discussion—one of higher education’s most vital principles—is vital to a healthy campus community and world and should be open for investigation to all viewpoints and approaches, enter the Conference on Academic Freedom.
While debates over academic freedom often take place in specialized circles, this unique conference is opening the conversation to all. Organized by Dr. Hrishikesh Joshi, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, and Dr. Mary Rigdon, Freedom Center Director and Associate Professor of Political Economy and Moral Science, the conference invites students, faculty, administrators, and community members to engage with one another over important questions such as academic freedom, free expression, and civic responsibility.
“This conference is not just for scholars,” stressed Mary Rigdon, Director of the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom. “This is a unique opportunity for students, faculty, and community members who care about how universities are shaping the democratic ideals of free expression and inquiry to learn from one another. We want everyone to feel and know that not only do they have a seat at the table, but their thoughts and ideas are welcome because diverse opinions are what lead us to a brighter and more successful nation.”
Sessions will examine themes such as:
- Defining academic freedom in everyday teaching, research, and campus life
- Academic freedom and the democratic ideal of free expression
- The responsibilities of public universities toward students, faculty, and the broader community
- Academic freedom, free speech, neutrality of public universities,
- Provocative topics such as “Yes, Even Racism”, where participants will be challenged to reflect on the limits and responsibilities of free inquiry
Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session, encouraging audience participation. In the spirit of the conference, all engagement will be expected to remain respectful and collegial to ensure a productive exchange of ideas.
The conference will take place Friday, Sept. 19, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719. The event is free and open to the public.
The Conference on Academic Freedom underscores the Freedom Center’s commitment to fostering rigorous discussion, critical engagement, and the free exchange of ideas in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
More from the Director
Dr. Mary Rigdon, Freedom Center Director and Associate Professor of Political Economy and Moral Science
In just a few weeks, the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom will host something that has never been done before – the First Conference on Academic Freedom, featuring acclaimed national voices and YOU. In today’s polarized climate, it often seems as though we’ve stopped listening to one another. That is why the conversation around academic freedom is more urgent than ever, and why this moment is particularly significant.
As a professor, I will admit that conversations about freedom too often happen behind closed doors, in faculty meetings or scholarly journals. But this conference is designed to be different. Dr. Rishi Joshi, co-organizer of this event with myself, and I wanted to open the conversation to everyone, including students, faculty, administrators, and community members. The truth is, academic freedom shapes more than the lives of professors; it shapes the very way we teach, learn, and prepare the next generation to be thoughtful citizens and leaders who are not only prepared but excited to think critically and question.
This conversation could not be more urgent. Across the country, universities are under pressure from a number of directions. At the same time, students are grappling and trying to make sense of new challenging dialogues, unsure where the boundaries of free expression begin and end. Or even how they can breach challenging topics with friends and colleagues without impacting relationships. It’s time we set an example of civil discourse and have a conversation that presents these topics and the way to discuss them, then walk away as friends.
This conference is an opportunity to discuss these challenges head on. Together, we will ask what academic freedom truly means in the everyday work of teaching, research, and campus life. We will explore how it connects to the democratic ideal of free expression and consider the special responsibilities public universities carry, not only to offer our students and faculty, but also for the communities we serve. Just as importantly, we will also ask what responsibilities communities have in return.
Some sessions no doubt will expand our respective viewpoints. Jason Brennan of Georgetown University, for example, will deliver a talk titled “Yes, Even Racism.” It is not meant to be comfortable but rather intended to challenge each of us to think critically about the boundaries of free inquiry and the sacred responsibilities that come with it. Other presentations will explore the role of public universities, the barriers to free expression, academic integrity, and even new questions about “academic neurorights.”
The two-day event will take place Friday, Sept. 19 (3–5 p.m.) and Saturday, Sept. 20 (9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.) at the Student Union Memorial Center. We are welcoming distinguished scholars from Georgetown, MIT, Purdue, Colorado, Florida, South Alabama, and of course, right here at the University of Arizona. But the most important voices in this conversation belong to those who are asking questions—because that’s the whole purpose, isn’t it? When it comes to academic freedom and our right to truly express and discuss our ideas, it’s about ALL of us who care about how ideas are shared and tested on campus.
This is more than a conference. This is an active exercise in academic freedom. It is a space where different perspectives are not only welcomed but asked for, hard (yet respectful) questions are encouraged, and common ground—while not always achieved—is always sought. It is a chance for us, together, to model the kind of dialogue that strengthens universities and democracies alike.
Please, join us. This inaugural gathering is more than a collection of lectures. Rather, it is an invitation to be part of shaping how we, as a community, defend the principles of freedom, inquiry, and shared responsibility that matter now more than ever.
