In a new report, national free speech organization PEN America highlights the Charles Koch Foundation’s (CKF) work to protect academic freedom. The analysis received extensive coverage, including a story in The New York Times. Readers of the report will have different perspectives about the state-level trends detailed by the authors, — but the report itself is a reminder of the diverse array of organizations committed to championing openness on campus.
PEN America quoted CKF’s Charlie Ruger who argued state legislation limiting what can be taught at colleges and universities threatens a core tenet of higher education: open inquiry. Ruger said supporters of these efforts “effectively argue that free speech and open inquiry are good only to the extent that those principles are applied in support of the ideas and questions lawmakers approve.”
Philanthropies that support postsecondary education all have a role to play in protecting against censorship and in offering positive ways to foster diverse perspectives and approaches to tackling some of the most pressing challenges we face as a country.
The Charles Koch Foundation supports campus-based initiatives to defend civil liberties and educational programming that equips students to promote and benefit from an open exchange of ideas. Learn more about our efforts to promote academic freedom.