On Thursday, September 20th, more than 300 Texas State students and faculty, along with Dr. Mary Brennan, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Dr. Gene Bourgeois, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, attended the department’s annual “Constitution Day” Lecture. Delivered by Dr. Keith Whittington of Princeton University, the lecture explored “Why We Should Value Campus Free Speech.” The lecture was followed by questions and discussion and, afterwards, students huddled around Dr. Whittington to extend the conversation for an additional half hour. Prior to the lecture, a group of political science majors spoke with Dr. Whittington over dinner at Palmer’s Restaurant.
On Friday the 21st, Dr. Whittington conducted a seminar on “Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech”, attended by more than two dozen Texas State students and faculty. The seminar was followed by a lunch affording another group of majors the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Dr. Whittington.
Robert Wilson, a graduate student in political science, praised the “deeply probing” nature of Whittington’s remarks, observing that he brought “academic depth” to a subject of intense debate on today’s campuses, a topic that is freely debated through the type of “popular talking points” found on the internet. Michelle Dean, a senior, noted that Whittington provided a much-needed reminder of the importance of campuses protecting “controversial” speech, “not just speech we agree with.”
The lecture and events were sponsored by the Department of Political Science’s Discourse in Democracy project and co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Jack C. Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles and History.
Dr. Whittington is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University. His books include Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech, as well as Constitutional Construction: Divided Powers and Constitutional Meaning, and Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, the Supreme Court, and Constitutional Leadership in U.S. History.
