The Center’s 3rd annual #SpeechMatters conference will take place virtually on Tuesday, April 20th and Wednesday, April 21st, 2021.
Over the past year higher education has been upended as colleges and universities transitioned to remote learning and the online campus. How has this transition—along with the summer’s historic protests, the 2020 election and the change in administration—impacted democratic engagement, activism and the national speech landscape? How will we navigate the return to in-person learning and post-pandemic life?
Join scholars, students and advocates virtually as we look forward and chart the course for campus expression and engagement.
DAY 1 AGENDA: TUESDAY, APRIL 20
Opening Remarks
UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement Executive Director Michelle Deutchman kicks off the day with welcome remarks.
On Trust in Science and Public Health Communications
UC President Michael V. Drake, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly and NPR health reporter Pien Huang discuss the importance of science and medicine and the role of government in shaping the public health message.
Challenges to Truth: Disinformation in the Digital Age
Leading experts in the field discuss how campus stakeholders—and society at large—can mitigate the impact and harm of fake news, false narratives and algorithmic bias.
- Renee DiResta, Stanford Internet Observatory- Alice E. Marwick, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Ebonee Rice, News Literacy Project
- Moderator: David Greene, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Fellows Program Video Presentation
The Center highlights the 2020-2021 class of Fellows and their research projects in a brief video.
Diving Deep: Current Threats to Academic Freedom
A conversation with former Center Fellow Keith Whittington, Academic Committee Chair of the recently founded Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA). AFA is dedicated to protecting the rights of faculty members at colleges and universities to speak, instruct, and publish without fear of sanction or punishment.
Closing Remarks
Executive Director Michelle Deutchman wraps up the day's events with brief remarks.
DAY 2 AGENDA: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
Opening Remarks
UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement Executive Director Michelle Deutchman kicks off the day with welcome remarks.
Remarks from the UC Student Association
UCSA President Aidan Arasasingham sets the stage for the “Student Advocacy and Activism at UC” panel.
Student Advocacy and Activism at UC
Hear from University of California undergraduate and graduate change-makers about their efforts to transform university life during challenging times.
- Rafael Jaime, Southern Vice President UAW 2865, UC Los Angeles- Syreeta Nolan, Disability Advocate, UC San Diego
- Naomi Waters, Racial Justice Now! Campaign Vice-Chair, UC Riverside
- Essence Wynter, BSU Demands Team Lead, UC Santa Barbara
- Moderator: Emerson Sykes, ACLU; '19-20 Center Fellow
Processing and Predictions: A Conversation about Speech on Campus
Center Executive Director Michelle Deutchman sits down with Center Co-Chairs Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, and Howard Gillman, Chancellor of UC Irvine.
Looking Ahead: Sustaining and Building Civic Engagement on Campus
Through protesting, volunteering, advocating and voting, young people fueled a new wave of civic engagement in 2020. Leaders in the field of campus voting and engagement discuss how higher education can support this momentum and further incorporate civic engagement into daily campus life.
- Jen Domagal-Goldman, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge- Katya Ehresman, Campus Vote Project
- Alexandria Harris, The Andrew Goodman Foundation
- Moderator: Greta Anderson, Inside Higher Ed
Closing Remarks
Executive Director Michelle Deutchman wraps up the 2021 conference with brief remarks.
Speakers

Greta Anderson
Reporter
Inside Higher Ed

Aidan Arasasingham
President
UC Student Association

Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean
UC Berkeley School of Law

Michelle Deutchman
Executive Director
UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

Renée DiResta
Technical Research Manager
Stanford Internet Observatory

Jennifer Domagal-Goldman
Executive Director
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge at Civic Nation

Michael V. Drake
President
University of California

Katya Ehresman
Student Advisory Board Chair
Campus Vote Project

Mark Ghaly MD, MPH
Secretary
California Health and Human Services Agency

Howard Gillman
Chancellor
UC Irvine

David Greene
Senior Staff Attorney and Civil Liberties Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation

Alexandria Harris
President
The Andrew Goodman Foundation

Pien Huang
Reporter, Science Desk
NPR

Rafael Jaime
Southern Vice President
UAW 2865, UC Los Angeles

Alice E. Marwick
Associate Professor, Department of Communication
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Syreeta Nolan
Disability Advocate
UC San Diego

Ebonee Rice
Vice President, Educator Network
News Literacy Project

Emerson Sykes
Staff Attorney
ACLU

Naomi Waters
Racial Justice Now! Campaign Vice-Chair
UC Riverside

Keith E. Whittington
Chair, Academic Committee
Academic Freedom Alliance

Essence Wynter
BSU Demands Team Lead
UC Santa Barbara

Click below to see photos and videos from last year’s conference.