The Vanderbilt-WashU Report Doesn’t Threaten Academic Freedom. It Defends it.

The Vanderbilt-WashU Report Doesn’t Threaten Academic Freedom. It Defends it.

John Tomasi  August 04, 2026 1 min read

The Report, and the follow-up disciplinary reports now being issued, raise uncomfortable questions for professors and for university leaders alike. Are there limits to professors’ freedom to conduct research and teach courses however they think best? Do university leaders dare intervene if scholarship becomes excessively politicized?

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Trump administration asks colleges to commit to education overhaul

Trump administration asks colleges to commit to education overhaul

Rebecca Carballo and Bianca Quilantan August 04, 2026 1 min read

The Education Department is asking university leaders to publicly commit to a series of institutional changes, many of which are in line with the Trump administration’s higher education agenda, by the end of the year.

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New FIRE study finds record low number of restrictive campus speech codes

New FIRE study finds record low number of restrictive campus speech codes

FIRE August 04, 2026 1 min read

U.S. colleges are increasingly eliminating or narrowing restrictive speech codes, continuing an encouraging trend that reflects a greater commitment to free expression on American campuses, a new study finds.

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The University and Its Purpose: A Declaration of First Principles

The University and Its Purpose: A Declaration of First Principles

Adopted by Vanderbilt University's Board of Trust and Chancellor Daniel Diermeier July 30, 2026 1 min read

The declaration is a statement of purpose for the research university—a reaffirmation of pathbreaking research, transformative education, and the covenant between universities and the society they serve, grounded in academic freedom, merit and excellence. 

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Rebecca Tuvel Was Canceled. It Was the Best Thing to Ever Happen to Her.

Rebecca Tuvel Was Canceled. It Was the Best Thing to Ever Happen to Her.

By Evan Goldstein July 30, 2026 1 min read

Almost a decade after the "Hypatia Affair" nearly ended her career, the philosopher reflects on public shaming and being a cautionary tale.

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Trump’s Gift to Academic Freedom? It’s Complicated.

Trump’s Gift to Academic Freedom? It’s Complicated.

By Brenner M. Fissell, Chronicle of Higher Education July 30, 2026 1 min read

Colleges and universities occupy a special place in American life, but when stripped down to their legal studs, they are nothing more than nonprofit corporations incorporated by the laws of the states they sit in.

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