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On September 12, 2023, the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions hosted Keith Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, and Myles McKnight '23, Public Discourse Fellow at the Witherspoon Institute and Research Assistant to Professor Robert George. To kick off the 2023-24 academic year, the two discussed the free speech rights of Princeton students. After the speaker presentations, students in attendance stayed for a catered dinner and an open house, while Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program, discussed the James Madison Program's Undergraduate Fellows Forum and how to join.
PFS editor’s note: The above text and was prepared by the James Madison Program. Myles McKnight is also Programs Associate for Princetonians for Free Speech.
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In a few minutes, all of you will walk out of this stadium as newly minted graduates of this University. Before you do, however, long-standing tradition permits the University president to offer a few remarks about the path that lies ahead.
In having a truly diverse group of students share their perspectives, Princeton makes known that there exists a home for every viewpoint. However, as much as I believe this claim to be true, there are unfortunately those who do not. It is easy to dismiss the Princeton administration and culture as entirely polarizing and ideologically biased. In fact, it is true that many here hold the same dominant perspective . But to focus on this fact alone, to rest our entire judgement on one such observation, runs the dangerous risk of neglecting the clear and persistent efforts of this University to encourage every student—even the conservative ones—to share the beliefs that he or she so earnestly pursues.
On April 15, I had the pleasure of hosting, on behalf of the Cliosophic Society, Ambassador John Bolton at Princeton’s Nassau Inn for a discussion entitled “The Room Where It Happened: National Security Decisions Under Pressure.” Bolton’s legacy as a leading professional in American foreign policy offered more than a glimpse behind the diplomatic curtain; it invited a critical examination of the processes and personalities that have shaped recent American engagement with the world.
