Freedom of expression and inquiry has been a guiding principle at the University of Chicago since its founding. In the face of challenges, the University has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting and preserving free expression, encouraging members of the community to engage in constructive open discourse without fear of retribution. This commitment and culture of intellectual engagement have made the University a global leader in the creation of knowledge.

The University also stands out nationally as an important leader on free inquiry and expression. In 2015 the president and provost formed the Committee on Freedom of Expression, chaired by Professor Geoffrey R. Stone, JD’71. The committee’s report has had a powerful impact on the national conversation. It became known as the Chicago Principles and was adopted at more than 100 other higher education institutions, a touchstone guiding them to uphold these central values.

Each era brings its own challenges, and to meet our own, President Paul Alivisatos, AB’81, launched the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression in 2023. The Chicago Forum, which I lead as faculty director, seeks to promote the understanding, practice, and advancement of free and open discourse on campus and beyond.

In its first year, the Chicago Forum organized more than a dozen events, large and small, on challenging topics as varied as the conflict in the Middle East, affirmative action in the United States, and civil liberties in Hong Kong. These events encouraged students, faculty, and staff from across the University to think critically, listen actively, and engage productively with one another. The University of Chicago Press published a book I coedited with our executive director, Tony Banout, PhD’12, titled The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression (2024). The volume collects speeches and reports by leaders throughout the University’s history—from William Rainey Harper and John Dewey to Robert J. Zimmer and current faculty members.

We have also sought to broaden conversations about free expression at other institutions of higher learning around the country by piloting the Academic Freedom Institute, which debuted in June 2024 and brought administrators and scholars from 22 different schools to UChicago.

Looking ahead, we seek to build on this momentum by deepening conversations on our campus and beyond. We recently welcomed our inaugural Student Advisory Board, a group of 100-plus students from across the schools and divisions who will actively organize events and programs that engage their peers and the larger UChicago community in productive conversations. And the Chicago Forum is investing in free expression scholarship and teaching throughout the University by offering research and course development grants. We also plan to launch a fellowship program to bring others with insights to share to our campus.

As political polarization heightens already profound threats to academic freedom, and as trust in higher education erodes, it is crucial that UChicago take the lead in developing the skills through which ideas are sharpened—or found wanting—and solutions are arrived at. The ability to openly articulate our own ideas and rigorously challenge others’ ideas is critical to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and solving the problems facing our world. Through all of its programming, the Chicago Forum strives to model these practices and underline the value of free inquiry and expression.

In light of the importance of this work, I was heartened and delighted recently by a generous gift from an anonymous donor that will do much to advance it. In October the University received $100 million in support of freedom of inquiry and expression, believed to be the largest gift to any institution for this purpose. On the strength of this investment and the ongoing commitment of UChicago’s leaders and community, the Chicago Forum will continue to expand and engage more students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others in understanding the value of free expression and its vital relationship to knowledge.

I hope you will keep current with the Chicago Forum’s activities and initiatives at thechicagoforum.uchicago.edu.