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By Vanderbilt University Board of Trustees
The University and Its Purpose: A Declaration of First Principles was adopted by the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust in June 2026. The declaration is organized around three core purposes: Pathbreaking research. Universities exist to create, preserve and disseminate knowledge; Transformative education.A university education is meant to teach students how to think rather than what to think; The covenant between universities and society. Universities depend on public, private and philanthropic support offered in exchange for education and research that serve the public good.
Read the full text of The University and Its Purpose: A Declaration of First Principles.
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Last summer, a former student journalist asked the University of Michigan’s student paper The Michigan Daily to take down or anonymize an article they had written more than 10 years ago. The article mentioned their involvement in a movement calling for the school to divest from companies associated with the Israeli government. In the email, they explained that their partner was a green card holder, and they were about to travel abroad with their young child. They worried they would not be allowed back.
Almost a decade after the "Hypatia Affair" nearly ended her career, the philosopher reflects on public shaming and being a cautionary tale.
Having spent most of the past 20 years in the free speech movement, I highly recommendThe Future of Free Speech. It gives a good birds-eye view of modern speech trends in the free and unfree world alike, where authoritarian countries have become more authoritarian and liberal democracies less liberal and democratic. The U.S. remains the gold standard, but the book leaves me wondering if we have the political will to keep it that way.Below are some of my key impressions and takeaways from the book.
