2018-2019 Class of Fellows

This inaugural class of fellows, who included scholars, students and journalists from across the country, spent a year researching critical issues related to speech and diversity, protest and inclusivity. Their work included developing tools, analyzing data and presenting lessons from history, and was showcased in this publication (PDF) at the Center’s #SpeechMatters conference on March 21, 2019 in Washington, DC. You can read and download their final work below.

Robert Cohen

Professor, New York University

Cohen compared free speech crises at UC Berkeley in 2017 and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967, then developed related curriculum materials for middle and high school teachers and incoming college students.

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Carlos Cortes

Professor Emeritus, UC Riverside

Cortes explored the history of diversity initiatives on college campuses and how those initiatives have affected students' and administrators' evolving views on free speech issues.

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Ellis Cose

Best-selling Author, Former ACLU Writer-in-residence

Cose performed a deep analysis of the challenges of protecting free expression in the context of polarized politics, accusations of fake news and a rise in white nationalism, supplementing his book project on the history of the American Civil Liberties Union.

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Justin McClinton

Ph.D. Candidate, UC Santa Barbara

McClinton developed a toolkit that helps university administrators prepare incoming students to engage with challenging ideas.

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Candace McCoy

Director, Office of the Inspector General for the New York Police; Professor, Graduate Center, City University of New York

McCoy studied recent protests and changing police practices when groups decide that rioting or threats of violence are necessary to bring attention to their issues.

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Elizabeth Meyer

Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

Meyer aimed to demystify First Amendment topics such as free speech, harassment and nondiscrimination in K-12 and university settings, including surveying educators on challenging acts of expression in their classrooms.

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William Morrow

Former UC Berkeley Student Body President

Morrow created a "playbook" for student leaders on how to handle the unique politics, legal restrictions, community relations and complex media communications involved with expressing opposition to the messaging of controversial speakers.

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Carlin Romano

Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Critic at Large, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Romano worked with the country's top intellectuals and writers to set up debates on controversial topics at up to eight college campuses. He wrote a series of articles connected to these debates, examining when and why conventional viewpoints tip into the unacceptable.

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Gamelyn Oduardo-Sierra

Legal Counsel, University of Puerto Rico

Oduardo-Sierra focused on developing online resources, podcasts and educational guides about the rights of assembly, public forums and civic participation as avenues of social conciliation.

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Keith Whittington

William Nelson Cromwell Professor, Princeton University

Whittington built on previous work to develop model guidelines for campus free speech, moving from the defense of principles to concrete statements and regulations that can be adapted and used by college administrators.

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