UW to Host Speakers on Free Expression, Intellectual Freedom, Constructive Dialogue

Three public lectures at the University of Wyoming this semester will promote free expression, intellectual freedom and constructive dialogue, starting later this month.

“I’m pleased to support these important events,” President Ed Seidel says. “They remind us of the importance of free expression and constructive dialogue -- to rigorously test ideas, engage with diverse perspectives, solve problems and produce new knowledge.”

Here is the lineup:

-- Free expression expert Nadine Strossen will give a talk titled “Does Free Speech Help or Hurt Civil Rights Movements?” Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m. in UW’s Agriculture Auditorium, with a reception before the talk from 4-5:15 p.m. in the lobby outside the auditorium. Strossen is the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita, at New York Law School; former president of the American Civil Liberties Union; and the author of “HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship” (2018) and “Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know” (2023).

Strossen’s visit is sponsored by UW’s chapter of the Heterodox Academy, with additional support from the Office of the President. The lecture will be livestreamed; visit www.uwyo.edu/principles for details.

-- Martín Carcasson will present his work on dialogue and deliberation to tackle “wicked problems” Monday-Tuesday, March 10-11. His presentation, “Tackling Wicked Problems through Deliberative Engagement: How to Engage Diverse Perspectives and Elevate our Conversations in Hyper-Partisan Times,” will take place in the Wyoming Union West Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. March 10.

Carcasson is a professor of communication studies at Colorado State University and the founding director of CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation. His research focuses on helping local communities address “wicked problems” more productively through improved public communication, community problem-solving and collaborative decision-making.

The day after his presentation, March 11, Carcasson will offer three participatory workshops for faculty, staff and students to practice collaborative dialogue techniques. Carcasson’s visit is sponsored by the student organization BridgeUWYO; UW’s Service, Leadership and Community Engagement Office; the Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program; and the Office of the President.

-- Paul Steinhardt, the Albert Einstein Professor of Science in the Department of Physics at Princeton University, will present this year’s Rebka-Hafele-Einstein Distinguished Lecture Friday, April 25, at 4 p.m. in Room 129 of UW’s Classroom Building, with a reception to follow. Steinhardt’s talk, “The Great Debate 2025: How the Universe Came to Be,” is jointly organized by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Honors College and the Office of the President.

Steinhardt’s most recent work challenges the theory of the inflationary universe, which he himself pioneered. In a presentation accessible to curious nonspecialists, Steinhardt will discuss his journey on the path to truth in science.

For units of UW that desire to hold an event related to the UW Principles on Freedom of Expression, Intellectual Freedom and Constructive Dialogue, the Office of the President may be able to provide support.

For more information, email principles@uwyo.edu.