ARTICLE
Champions of Higher Education Statement of Purpose Mission The Champions of Higher Education, coordinated by PEN America, affirmatively promote a positive vision of American higher education as an essential guarantor of free expression in a democracy, and defend the autonomy of educational decisions made by colleges and universities against political and legislative incursions. Vision We will reconfirm public faith in America’s institutions of higher learning and rally public support against censorious legislation aimed at colleges and universities. Statement of Purpose In December 2022, PEN America, in collaboration with Campus Compact, began regular convenings of an expanding network of former university and college presidents and system heads. These convenings have spawned a new PEN America initiative. As participants in this initiative, we seek to advocate individually and collectively against efforts by public officials to censor and chill campus free expression and the right of students to learn, and against attempts to delegitimize and defund public colleges and universities. Having dedicated our careers to the success of higher learning, we volunteer to leverage our expertise, reputations, and connections in defense of postsecondary institutions. We are the Champions of Higher Education. Read more here... Former college and university presidents and system heads who wish to add their names to this statement should contact Jeremy C. Young at jyoung@pen.org.
The Champions of Higher Education, coordinated by PEN America, affirmatively promote a positive vision of American higher education as an essential guarantor of free expression in a democracy, and defend the autonomy of educational decisions made by colleges and universities against political and legislative incursions.
We will reconfirm public faith in America’s institutions of higher learning and rally public support against censorious legislation aimed at colleges and universities.
In December 2022, PEN America, in collaboration with Campus Compact, began regular convenings of an expanding network of former university and college presidents and system heads. These convenings have spawned a new PEN America initiative. As participants in this initiative, we seek to advocate individually and collectively against efforts by public officials to censor and chill campus free expression and the right of students to learn, and against attempts to delegitimize and defund public colleges and universities. Having dedicated our careers to the success of higher learning, we volunteer to leverage our expertise, reputations, and connections in defense of postsecondary institutions. We are the Champions of Higher Education.
Former college and university presidents and system heads who wish to add their names to this statement should contact Jeremy C. Young at jyoung@pen.org.