Recent & Upcoming Events
UPCOMING EVENTS
#SpeechMatters 2025: Truth, Trust and Transformation
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 8:30am – 12:00pm PT | 11:30am – 3:00pm ET
The higher education landscape is shifting: members of the public are increasingly questioning the purpose and value of colleges and universities, and institutions are grappling with the fallout from a consequential national election and a year filled with campus protests. Our seventh annual conference will be held virtually on Thursday, April 10, 2025. “Truth, Trust and Transformation” will consider these opportunities and challenges, and grapple with the role of colleges and universities in our democracy.
RECENT EVENTS
2025-2026 Fellowship Information Sessions
February, 2025
Featuring: Nina Flores & Jill Dunlap and Elizabeth Niehaus and Brian Soucek
Information Session #1
Information Session #2
Does Reason Prevail? Lessons in Public Argument for University Leadership
Tuesday January 14, 2025
Featuring: Michael Bruner and Susan Balter-Reitz
Many higher education stakeholders are anticipating the introduction of state legislation targeting colleges and universities. To learn about some of the most (and least) effective ways to craft arguments in response to these bills, join public communication scholars Michael Bruner and Susan Balter-Reitz for a dynamic conversation about argumentative strategies. Their recommendations are based on their analysis of university responses to the FORUM Act, model legislation regarding free speech policies at state funded U.S. universities.
Past is Prologue: How Student Trustees Influence Campuses and Beyond
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Featuring: Raquel Rall
Delve into the transformative influence of student trustees as they shape campus dynamics and resonate across broader society. Rooted in a legacy of activism, student trustees bring a distinctive governance perspective, embodying the vibrant pulse of student voices. Join Dr. Raquel Rall, Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives at UC Riverside, to discuss their impact through proactive civic engagement, from grassroots initiatives to organizational ventures, exemplifying a dedication to inclusive discourse and catalyzing positive societal change. This workshop will document and celebrate the dynamic journey of these influential student leaders.
Reframing the Role of Free Speech in Bias Response: Considering Student Stories
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Featuring: Ashley Robinson
Struggles with free speech are not only a key challenge for administrators and frontline staff responding to bias incidents in higher education, but also pose significant challenges for marginalized students who are victims of bias incidents. Join Dr. Ashley Robinson, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University, to learn about the negative impacts of free expression rationales on students who report bias incidents, and consider more expansively what accountability in situations of identity-based harm might look like, both for those harmed and for those causing the harm.
Leading Campus-Wide Nonpartisan Civic and Voter Empowerment: Lessons from California’s Landmark Civic Legislation
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Featuring: Alex Kappus
Amid extreme political polarization, college and university leaders must embrace their role in strengthening democracy. This session will provide strategies and resources for cultivating a healthier campus climate for political learning. Dr. Alex Kappus, Account Executive for Student Success at Credo Higher Education Consulting, will share practical implications of his research reviewing institutional responses to California’s Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act (A.B. 963), examining the nature and scope of efforts across the UC, CSU and community college systems.
Campus Protest: Then and Now
May 21, 2024
Many are drawing analogies between the activism on campuses today and what happened in the 1960s at Kent State, Columbia, Berkeley and other colleges and universities. What are the similarities and differences between then and now? How is protest distinct from civil disobedience and what role is each playing currently? Join a panel of experts to discuss these topics and how universities should respond in this moment and moving forward.
#SpeechMatters 2024: Politics, Polarization and Perils on Campus
April 18, 2024
With campus expression issues splashed across the front page and debated in Congressional hearings, higher education has become increasingly embroiled in our nation’s polarized politics and discourse. The perils of this moment — from balancing speech and Title VI accountability to the targeted harassment of academics — are only compounded in an election year.
Our sixth annual conference delved into these subjects and explore current challenges and opportunities for learning, activism and engagement. Join legal experts, journalists and college and university leaders for a lively and dynamic half day of discussion.
Back to Basics: A Webinar Series for UC Staff and Faculty
These workshops have been curated specifically for UC staff and faculty members in order to provide space for teams across the system to think through how to support student expression on campus, manage institutional responses to visits by controversial speakers or speaker disruptions, and simultaneously maintain a campus climate of inclusivity and belonging. These workshops are being presented by UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement in partnership with the Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Equity Affairs, UC Legal and the Office of Systemwide Community Safety at the UC Office of the President have produced this webinar series.
You may register for any or all of these training opportunities. A separate webinar series for students is forthcoming.
Academic Freedom 101
March 11, 2024
Much has been made of the unrelenting attacks on academic freedom from legislatures across the country, but do we really understand what academic freedom is, and how it is distinct from freedom of speech? What does it protect and why is it important to higher education and democracy? This workshop will cover these questions as well as explore how our communities can uphold this critical UC principle.
Featuring: Howard Gillman, Chancellor, UC Irvine and Jim Steintrager, 2023-2024 UC Academic Senate Chair, Professor of English, Comparative Literature and European Languages and Studies, UC Irvine
Title VI Today
February 27, 2024
The federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently has opened multiple investigations under Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including based on allegations of antisemitic and anti-Muslim discrimination or harassment. We will discuss the agency’s positions and guidance as well as University policy regarding responding to allegations of a hostile environment while safeguarding expression.
Featuring: Joshua Meltzer, Principal Counsel, Education Affairs, UC Legal and Sonya Sanchez, Senior Principal Counsel, Education Affairs and Governance, UC Legal — University of California Office of the President
Exploring First Amendment Principles and Campus Expression
February 26, 2024
Need a refresher on those First Amendment basics? Join this workshop to review what speech is protected by the First Amendment and what is not; forum analysis; time, place and manner regulations and protests/disruption/heckler’s veto. Explore best practices for responding to hateful speech that cannot be prohibited but negatively impacts campus climate.
Featuring: Michelle Deutchman, Executive Director, UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement and Joshua Meltzer, Principal Counsel, Education Affairs, UC Legal — University of California Office of the President
Campus Safety and Protest Management
February 23, 2024
Norms around protest and policing on campuses have changed dramatically. Today, the onus is on student affairs professionals to observe and support students who are engaging in protest. What does this mean for campus safety? When should campus police intercede? How can we better support these professionals and our students? Join for these discussions and more.
Featuring: Heather Belk, Policy and Programs Analyst, Student Policies and Governance, Student Policies and Equity Affairs; Staci Bias, Associate Director, Systemwide Community Safety; and Melissa Collins, Program Manager for Security, Risk and Resilience, UC Risk Services — University of California Office of the President
