Columbia University Can Learn from Its History
Yet another blow to Columbia University’s autonomy happened this month, the potential revoking of Columbia’s accreditation by the U.S. Department of Education – Office for
June 30, 2025
Yet another blow to Columbia University’s autonomy happened this month, the potential revoking of Columbia’s accreditation by the U.S. Department of Education – Office for
Columbia alumni are taking a stand to defend free speech, academic freedom, and open inquiry—restoring the university’s tradition of intellectual pluralism.
The “Chicago Statement” refers to the free speech policy statement produced by the Committee on Freedom of Expression at the University of Chicago. In July of 2014, University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Eric D. Isaacs tasked the Committee with “articulating the University’s overarching commitment to free, robust, and uninhibited debate and deliberation among all members of the University’s community.”
As campuses grow more hostile to free expression, it may be up to alumni to tip the scales in favor of individual rights. Long after alumni leave campus, they remain some of higher education’s most powerful constituents. Now, with help from FIRE and the newly launched Alumni Free Speech Alliance, they are beginning to rise up on behalf of free speech.
Threats to free speech and academic freedom on campus constantly change: One year, it’s speech codes and federal government overreach that present the greatest danger. The next, it could be speaker disinvitations and heckler’s vetoes.
Although we fully support free speech and students’ right to protest, there are legitimate limits. According to the First Amendment, hate speech is protected with narrow exceptions, as identified by the Supreme Court, “including but not limited to speech that constitutes unlawful incitement, true threats, intimidation, or discriminatory harassment.” (TheFire.org: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression).