UChicago receives $100 million gift to advance commitment to free expression
In recognition of its historic commitment to free inquiry and expression, the University of Chicago has received a $100 million gift from an anonymous donor to support UChicago’s leadership on the principles and practice of free expression, and to advance the work of the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression—both on campus and in society beyond academia. The gift is believed to be the largest-ever higher education gift in support of free expression.
Launched a year ago by President Paul Alivisatos, the Chicago Forum’s mission is to promote the understanding, practice, and advancement of free and open discourse at UChicago and around the world. Through events and initiatives, the Chicago Forum brings together students, faculty, higher education leaders, and a diverse range of guests to discuss challenges of free inquiry and expression—and put those values into practice.
The new gift comes at a pivotal time of opportunities and threats to free expression at U.S. universities and internationally. Even as many scholars and speakers have faced censorship for their views, a growing number of universities in the last decade have committed to upholding versions of UChicago’s influential Chicago Principles on free expression, and the Kalven Report on institutional neutrality.
The new gift affirms UChicago’s leadership on free expression and will allow for a rapid expansion of the Chicago Forum’s work, including:
Free Expression Fellows – The unique program will support fellows from around the world who are advancing scholarship related to free expression, including scholars who have faced obstacles to expression at their institutions or in their home countries. Junior scholars will have an opportunity to pursue an idea related to free inquiry and expression.
Academic Freedom Institute at UChicago – Piloted for the first time this summer, the Institute has brought leaders from more than 20 colleges and universities who attended workshops on implementing academic freedom programs at their institutions; the new gift will support the Institute’s expansion beyond higher education.
Fostering Open Discussions Across Difference – In a time of increasing polarization, misinformation, and divisive debates, the Chicago Forum will support an evidence-based approach to events that foster constructive conversations among people with a range of views on difficult subjects. It will host the first of three events in October examining a possible pathway for peace in the Middle East—conversations that will include a former leader of the Palestinian Authority who is now a scholar at Princeton University and a scholar from Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Orientation for the Practice of Free Expression – The Chicago Forum now provides orientation sessions for all incoming undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff at UChicago, to promote understanding and discussion of the Chicago Principles and how to put them into action, in a campus setting of openness and respect for diverse views, backgrounds and life experiences.
Research on Emerging Free Expression Issues – The gift will support innovative research, including how technologies such as AI and blockchain may impact free expression. In an ever-changing world of online media, the Chicago Forum will examine how technology can advance self-expression and conversation.
“The University of Chicago has an unparalleled history of devotion to upholding free inquiry and expression. Our community has developed principles and policies that are widely seen as global exemplars in our quest to be a place of truth seeking. Yet it is not enough to proclaim principles. Living them is a constant struggle. Engaging in that struggle with purpose is more essential to society now than ever,” said President Alivisatos. “This remarkable gift will create an enduring forum for this struggle. The Chicago Forum will allow us to significantly deepen this project here at the University of Chicago and will expand this important work on a much larger scale.”
“We want the Chicago Forum to build on the University’s traditions as the place for cutting‑edge thinking to address today’s challenges,” said Tom Ginsburg, the Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law at the University of Chicago Law School and inaugural faculty director of the Chicago Forum. “We also want every student to have the experience of speaking their mind, and the possibility of changing it in conversation with others. This transformative gift will allow us to build upon what we’ve started and have a much larger impact.”