US universities launch partnership to elevate free speech to counter threats to democracy

By THALIA BEATY
Associated Press

The presidents of 13 universities are elevating free speech on their campuses this academic year, as part of a new nonprofit initiative announced Tuesday. The Institute for Citizens & Scholars launched the initiative with funding from the Knight Foundation in response to what organizers see as threats to U.S. democracy. Jonathan Alger is the president of James Madison University, which is participating in the Campus Call for Free Expression. He said colleges need to be at the forefront of showing students how to speak across differences, given the current political polarization. The school presidents have committed to five principles of free expression along with on-campus programs that each school designed themselves