Hundreds of colleges and universities have adopted free expression and institutional speech documents from the University of Chicago. In 1899, the University of Chicago faculty unanimously resolved that complete freedom of speech was fundamental to the institution’s mission to pursue knowledge and cultivate independent thinkers, a commitment President William Rainey Harper reaffirmed in his address at the university’s 36th convocation in 1900. The Kalven Report and the Chicago Principles carried that logic forward. In adopting and discussing these documents, the logic that academic free expression exists to advance inquiry often gets lost.
Free Inquiry and Expression: From Principles to Educational Practice
Hundreds of colleges and universities have adopted free expression and institutional speech documents from the University of Chicago. In 1899, the University of Chicago faculty unanimously resolved that complete freedom
Leila Brammer
September 7, 2026
