Wednesday, February 26, 2025
11:00 – 12:30 PM Eastern Time
American democracy and education are experiencing right-wing attacks unparalleled in the nation’s history. There are grave concerns in higher education about Trump’s current presidency and what responses can mitigate its negative impact. At the same time, several university leaders have taken the position of “institutional neutrality” in the face of rising authoritarianism/fascism. Where the Kalven Report is used to justify a position of neutrality, it disregards the Report’s position that when the university’s mission and values of free inquiry are threatened, the university is obligated to “oppose such measures and actively to defend its interests and its values.” Will universities defend democracy in this time of crisis? What are the implications if they don’t?
Scott Peters
Dr. Scott Peters is a professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. He is the co-editor of a new book series with Cornell University Press, Publicly Engaged Scholars: Identities, Purposes, and Practices. He is also faculty co-director emeritus of Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life. Situated in the newly emerging interdisciplinary field of civic studies, Professor Peters centers his work as a scholar and educator on advancing democratic varieties of public engagement in the academic profession.
Bethany Letiecq
Dr. Bethany Letiecq is a College of Education and Human Development professor at George Mason University. She specializes in community-based participatory action research approaches, focusing on structural stressors that erode family health and functioning among immigrant and economically marginalized families. With community partners, she translates research into action for systems change and social justice. Professor Letiecq’s leadership roles include serving as president of the National Council on Family Relations Board of Directors, as VP of AAUP Local 6741 of the American Federation of Teachers, and as president of the GMU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Our Website: FutureU, Values, and Change in Higher Education
and on X
Ruben Martinez
Frank Fear
This forum was organized and will be hosted by Rubén Martinez, FutureU founder, and Frank Fear, managing editor of the FutureU website, video series, and X feed. Martinez and Fear are professors emeritus at Michigan State University.
