Four experts on the topic of freedom of expression will take part in Freedom of Expression: A Panel Discussion, scheduled today, at 4 p.m. at the University of Wyoming Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Panelists will explore issues surrounding the role of speakers invited to universities and colleges, including who can and should speak on campus, what the university's responsibilities to its public are and whether speakers contribute to the education of students.
"I'm extremely pleased we were able to invite speakers of this caliber," says Myron Allen, UW provost and vice president for academic affairs. "There are a number of topics this forum will explore. Among them are the concept of the university as a neutral or open public forum, public trust in the university for this role and the responsibilities of university administrators and faculty members in the process."
The speakers are:
-- Joan DelFattore, an award-winning author and professor of English and legal studies at the University of Delaware; author of "Knowledge in the Making: Academic Freedom and Free Speech in America's Schools and Universities."
-- Kenneth Lasson, professor of law at the University of Baltimore; author of "Trembling in the Ivory Tower: Excesses in the Pursuit of Truth and Tenure."
-- Robert M. O'Neil, director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression in Charlottesville, Va., and past president of the University of Virginia, where he teaches courses in the university's College of Law. He's the author of "Free Speech in the College Community."
-- Philippa Strum, senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Broeklundian Professor Emerita at the City University of New York. She's the author of "When the Nazis Came to Skokie: Freedom for the Speech We Hate."
There will be an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.
The forum, presented by the UW American Heritage Center and sponsored by the UW offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs and the UW President's Office, is free and open to the public.
