Free Speech

In previous hearings, presidents equivocated on moral questions or were accused of throwing faculty under the bus. This time, leaders pushed back against lawmakers.

Unlike their predecessors in the hot seat, the leaders set to face Congress today are all men who have been in the job for at least two years—and two head public institutions.

An encampment at UCLA sparked violence, while Rutgers and Northwestern reached deals with protesters. Now the leaders of all three institutions must answer to Congress.

A House committee questioned the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers universities and the chancellor of UCLA about their responses to campus antisemitism and student protests. Inside Higher Ed’s live coverage of the hearing is here.

Student demonstrations may be dwindling, but they haven’t disappeared. Campus leaders continue to respond to the encampments using a range of approaches.

Student appeals for colleges to stop investing in firms that support Israel’s war effort are complicated by state laws, political risks and global market complexities.

A walkout at the University of California, Santa Cruz could spread to other campuses in the state. The university system is calling the strike “illegal.”