Harvard and Columbia Rank Lowest for Free Speech in Annual Survey

For the second consecutive year, Harvard University has been ranked at the bottom of the annual survey of free speech on campuses conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Columbia University shares the last position with Harvard, scoring 0.00. They are followed by New York University, University of Pennsylvania, and Barnard College.

Free Speech on Campuses

The issue of free speech on campuses is discussed in the book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.” The book notes that public universities could be the last bastion for the right to free speech. This is not necessarily because faculty members at these schools are more protective of free speech or intellectual diversity. However, as state schools, they are directly subject to the First Amendment and can be more easily taken to court for denials of this right. On the other hand, faculty at schools like Harvard, Columbia, Penn, and NYU seem unconcerned about their poor records on free speech. These schools also have largely purged conservative and Republican faculty from their ranks. Past surveys have found that over 75 percent of faculty identify as liberal or very liberal, and many departments do not have a single Republican.

University of Chicago's Fall in Ranking

The University of Chicago, the author's alma mater, has fallen from number 1 to 44, although FIRE still recognizes it as a consistently strong free speech environment. This fall has occurred under the presidency of Armand Paul Alivisatos, who replaced Robert Zimmer, one of academia's greatest advocates of free speech. Zimmer had sent a well-known letter to the class of 2020, warning students that they would not be shielded from views that upset them or provided with “safe spaces” on campus. The university declared that it did not support 'trigger warnings,' it did not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and it did not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces.'

Barnard College's New Commitment

Barnard College, unlike the other schools at the bottom, has joined other schools in adopting the Chicago Principles. It has released a statement committing itself to a new course. However, it remains to be seen whether the faculty will honor this commitment. George Washington University, where the author teaches, is ranked 161st out of 251 schools, with a below-average ranking. This year, schools that received a “warning” about anti-free speech policies included Pepperdine University, Hillsdale College, and Brigham Young University.

Change in Anti-Free Speech Environment

If there are to be significant improvements in the anti-free speech environment in private colleges, they will only come from donors refusing to support these schools until they change their policies and culture. Administrators and faculty feel little pressure to reverse these trends. However, they will respond if their intolerance begins to threaten their own budgets and departments. Higher education has already seen a plunge in trust among citizens due to the current administrators and faculty at colleges and universities. They are damaging the institutions that sustain them. Public universities can be a strong line of defense for free speech, offering students not just free speech environments but the direct protection of the First Amendment. What is missing is a greater diversity of viewpoints on faculties.

Expectations from Higher Education

While some professors have argued that free speech and intellectual diversity are not essential to higher education, most of the public disagrees and expects a diverse and tolerant environment at state-supported schools. The author has encouraged Congress to adopt ten basic prerequisites for federal funding for colleges and universities on free speech. If these schools want to continue to deny free speech to students and faculty, they should do so with their own funds and contributions from donors who share their anti-free speech agendas. Taxpayers should not be supporting schools which deny a right considered “indispensable” to our constitution and culture.

Bottom Line

The rankings reveal a concerning trend about the state of free speech in higher education. It's alarming to see prestigious institutions like Harvard and Columbia at the bottom of the list. It raises questions about the values being promoted in these institutions and the impact on students' growth and learning. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you agree with the rankings? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Remember, you can sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.