An anonymous $100 million gift will help the University of Chicago expand its efforts to support free expression and advance the work of its Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, the university announced Thursday.
The gift is believed to be the largest ever donation to a higher education institution in support of free expression, the university said in a news release; it comes at a time when threats to free expression at U.S. colleges and universities have taken center stage.
The university launched the free speech forum last year, and with the infusion of cash, the organization can expand its offerings. Programs include fellowships, constructive dialogue events to examine pathways for peace in the Middle East, orientation sessions for incoming students and staff, research initiatives, and outreach beyond higher education.
“This isn’t easy work; that’s why we call these hard conversations. They require practice,” said Tom Ginsburg, the forum’s faculty director. “But it’s worth it, because that friction is how we improve our ideas and create knowledge. That’s why free expression is so vital.”
Administrators believe it will uphold the university’s devotion to maintaining free inquiry and expression.
“Our community has developed principles and policies that are widely seen as global exemplars in our quest to be a place of truth seeking. Yet it is not enough to proclaim principles,” U of Chicago president Paul Alivisatos said in the release. “This remarkable gift will create an enduring forum for this struggle.”
