June 22 — Opening & Capacity-Building
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Opening Plenary — What Do You Want to Build? Visions of University Reform
Higher education leaders discuss competing visions of university reform: what, if anything, needs to change, what universities already do well and should preserve, and what institutional cultures, programs, and initiatives can strengthen universities' missions.
- Heidi Ganahl — Entrepreneur, author, speaker, politician; former University of Colorado Regent at Large
- Ed Seidel — President, University of Wyoming
- Pamela Carriveau — Provost & VP for Academic Affairs, Black Hills State University
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Slow Change: Laying the Groundwork through Building Connections
Rather than large institutional change, this panel focuses on the slow, small steps individuals have made at their universities to promote HxA values — specific strategies and stories illustrating meaningful work that takes time.
- Jennifer Harmon — University of Wyoming
- Catherine Johnson — University of Wyoming
- Matt Recla — Boise State University
- Bethany Boucher — Heterodox Academy
- Jason McConnell — Black Hills State University
Interventions that Worked
Academic professionals share on-the-ground success stories and evidence-based strategies for making culture change a reality on campus.
- Matt Burgess — Asst. Professor of Economics, Univ. of Wyoming · Campus Dialogues
- Bryan Gentry — Dir. of Communications, McCausland College of A&S, Univ. of South Carolina · Communicating through Political Pressures
- Justin McBrayer — Dir. of University Partnerships, Heterodox Academy · Achieving Viewpoint Diversity
- Spencer Pelton — Wyoming State Archaeologist · Protecting Disciplines & Collections from Calls for Erasure
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Dinner & "Modest Proposals"
Dinner featuring a series of two-minute lightning talks offering creative and thought-provoking proposals for higher-ed reform.
- Multiple conference participants
June 23 — Reform in Action
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Legal Strategies for Institutional Repair
Legal and policy issues related to university purpose and principles, free-expression rights, and policies that can structurally protect free inquiry and expression.
- Ryan Ansloan — Senior Program Counsel, Policy Reform team, FIRE
- Steve McGuire — Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom, ACTA
- Tara Evans — VP & General Counsel, University of Wyoming
Centers of Practice
Leaders of university centers discuss establishing and sustaining centers, remaining nonpartisan, balancing public-facing and scholarly missions, and navigating internal and external pressures.
- Taylor Jaworski — Interim Dir., Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, CU Boulder
- Martín Carcasson — Dir., Center for Public Deliberation, Colorado State University
- Mary Kate Cary — Exec. Dir., Miller National Academy for Free Expression & Pluralism, Univ. of Denver
- Charles Sims — Dir., Center for Energy, Transportation & Environmental Policy, Baker School, Univ. of Tennessee
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Faculty & Organizational Development to Protect Open Inquiry
Successful initiatives, programs, workshops, and tools that help faculty uphold academic freedom and free expression, exercise sound judgment on controversial topics, and maintain classrooms that support open inquiry.
- Leila Brammer — UChicago Forum for Free Inquiry & Expression · Principles into Classroom Practice
- Simon Cullen — HxA Faculty Research Fellow · AI-Powered Platform for Evidence-Based Dialogue
- Martha McCaughey — Univ. of Wyoming Free Expression Program · Culture of Free Inquiry through Development
Engaging Citizenship in the Classroom
Faculty preparing students to engage critically as citizens in a diverse republic — and envisioning curricular shifts to do so. Ideas and practices for free speech, constructive dialogue, civics curriculum, and more.
- Scott Moorcraft — Dir., Master of Athletic Leadership Program, Boise State University
- Matt Moreali — Instructor, First-Year Seminar & Pre-Law Advisor, Southern Oregon University
- Steven Pittz — Dir., Center for the Study of Government & the Individual, UCCS
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World Café Lunch
Facilitated small-group conversations focused on questions about higher-ed institutional culture.
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The Chicago Principles — A Deep Dive
An extended workshop with the leaders of the UChicago Forum for Free Inquiry & Expression, exploring academic freedom, institutional neutrality, and public trust.
- Leila Brammer — Dir. of Curriculum, Forum for Free Inquiry & Expression, UChicago
- Tom Ginsburg — Faculty Director, Forum for Free Inquiry & Expression, UChicago
Dialogue, Debate & Deliberation about Universities
Three organizations demonstrate distinct approaches to dialogue, deliberation, and debate through participatory sessions focused on universities.
- Jonathan Turley — George Washington University Law School
- Todd Wolfson — President, American Association of University Professors
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Keynote Dinner — The Spirit of Liberal Freedom
- Steven Pittz — Dir., Center for the Study of Government & the Individual, UCCS; author of Recovering the Liberal Spirit: Nietzsche, Individuality, and Spiritual Freedom
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June 24 — Take-Aways
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Principled Governance
University leaders discuss the principles they seek to uphold, the challenges that test those principles, and how governments can better support principled governance in higher education.
- Scott Beaulier — University of Wyoming
- Pamela Carriveau — Black Hills State University
- Nicole Cousins — University of Colorado Boulder
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Closing Reflective Conversation — Learning from Our Academic Insiders
- John Tomasi — President, Heterodox Academy
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