Commentary: A Worthy Open Letter Defending Liberalism in the Academy from its Opponents on the Left

July 14, 2023 1 min read

David Bernstein
The Volokh Conspiracy, Reason Magazine

Excerpt: Dear Friends,

We, the undersigned Jewish scholars and academics, are concerned about the current ideological environment in the US and elsewhere and the increasingly censorious culture in many institutions of higher learning. Although we are acutely aware of the illiberalism and threats to academic freedom emanating from the political right, and in no way downplay these dangers, in this letter we focus our attention on, and express our deep concern about, a dangerously intolerant ideology on the political left that has taken hold in academia.

Click here for link to full article

Leave a comment


Also in National Free Speech News & Commentary

Trump Order Threatens University Libraries, Museums

March 20, 2025 1 min read

Kathryn Palmer
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: A $10,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services is allowing a tribal college in northern Michigan to continue offering library services during a building renovation. The IMLS, which is the largest federal funding source for U.S. museums and libraries, also awarded a historically Black university in Virginia $52,000 to digitize an archival collection about the women’s college it absorbed in 1932. And an academic researcher in Florida is counting on a $150,000 grant to help school librarians better support students who are autistic.

But as of last week, those and hundreds of other federally funded programs at museums and libraries—many housed at cash-strapped colleges and universities—are in jeopardy.

Read More
University of California Will Stop Requiring Diversity Statements in Hiring

March 20, 2025 1 min read

Vimal Patel
New York Times

Excerpt: The University of California said on Wednesday that it would stop requiring the use of diversity statements in hiring, a practice praised by some who said it made campuses more inclusive but criticized by others who said it did the opposite.

Read More
The influential University of California system ends the use of DEI statements in faculty hiring.

March 20, 2025 1 min read

Nicole Barbaro Simovski, Ph.D.
Free the Inquiry

Excerpt: Diversity statements started to be commonly required for applications for university faculty positions starting in the 2010s. These statements—often one- to two-page essays detailing a candidate's commitment to advancing diversity, enquiry, and inclusion goals in their academic work—have been a fierce topic of debate. On the extremes, one side sees diversity statements as simply asking faculty candidates to demonstrate how they advance the university’s values. The other side sees them as thinly veiled ideological filters in hiring.

Read More