Academics working to rebuild public trust in their universities will converge on the
University of Wyoming Monday-Wednesday, June 22-24.
UW is the host of the West Regional Conference of the Heterodox Academy, a nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization founded in 2015 that works to defend and restore open inquiry,
viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement in higher education. The organization
has grown to more than 7,000 members in both faculty and non-faculty positions across
22 countries. There’s an active chapter at UW.
The theme of this year’s conference, which will take place at UW’s Marian H. Rochelle
Gateway Center, is “How It’s Done: Practical Strategies for Building Trustworthy Higher
Education Institutions.” It will include a half-day workshop on academic principles
with the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, as well as dialogue,
deliberation and debate sessions on higher education controversies.
The conference also will feature practical lessons from university attorneys, trustees,
Heterodox Academy chapter leaders, faculty, staff and students. They will share how
they align policies and principles; improve shared governance; facilitate constructive
disagreement; and lead faculty development.
UW faculty members and other UW-affiliated people scheduled to present or speak include
Scott Beaulier, the H.A. “Dave” True Family Dean of the College of Business; Matt
Burgess, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics; Tara Evans, vice president
and general counsel; Jennifer Harmon, an associate professor in the Department of
Family and Consumer Sciences; Catherine Johnson, an associate lecturer in LeaRN Programs;
Martha McCaughey, special assistant to the president; Spencer Pelton, Wyoming state
archaeologist; President Ed Seidel; and BridgeUWYO student leaders.
Conference session highlights include:
June 22 -- Plenary panel on “What Do You Want to Build? Visions of University Reform,”
featuring a conversation with sitting and former university presidents and trustees
on the future of higher education.
June 23 -- Keynote address on “The Spirit of Liberal Freedom” by Steven Pittz, director
of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual at the University of
Colorado-Colorado Springs.
June 23 -- A half-day deep-dive on the Chicago tradition with leaders of the University
of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression.
June 23 -- A half-day series of dialogues on higher education reform led by the Center
for Public Deliberation, BridgeUSA and the Steamboat Institute, which will conduct
a debate on institutional neutrality featuring Todd Wolfson, president of the American
Association of University Professors, and Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington
University’s law school.
June 24 -- Keynote reflective conversation with John Tomasi, president of Heterodox
Academy.
To view the detailed conference schedule and register to attend, go here.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.