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    Commentary: A Princeton President’s Evasions

    Len Gutkin  October 03, 2025 1 min read

    Academic Freedom at Princeton Free Speech at Princeton University Institutional Governance & Accountability Viewpoint Diversity at Princeton

    Len Gutkin 
    Chronicle of Higher Education 

    Excerpt: In the summer of 2020, not long after the murder of George Floyd, the faculty and the president of Princeton University engaged in an especially long-winded instance of the political ritual common to the period. The president, Christopher L. Eisgruber, went first. Given “recent tragic events” and “the ongoing reality of oppression and violence against Black Americans,” Princeton “must examine all aspects of this institution — from our scholarly work to our daily operations — with a critical eye and a bias toward action.”

    In his new book, Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right, Eisgruber calls this letter “one of the most controversial statements” of his presidency. He goes on: “I would myself frame some of it differently if I were writing today.”

    Click here for link to full article 


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