SpeechMatters

Having just completed his first year as president of the greatest public university, University of California President James B. Milliken joins the podcast to reflect on his decades-long career in higher education, the unique responsibilities of public universities and the state of free expression and academic freedom on today’s campuses. Episode Resources: UC president: Proposed research bond cri...

Explore the impact of state legislation on academic freedom, shared governance, curriculum and expression with guest Laura Benitez, senior manager, state policy and government affairs for U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America. Episode Resources: PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders and Higher Education Restrictions Expanding the Web of Control: America’s Censored Campuses 2025 Snapsh...

In this month’s episode, we explore higher education governance — a topic that has drawn increasing attention and controversy in recent years. Drs. Demetri Morgan and Raquel Rall, co-directors of the Center for Strategic and Inclusive Governance, join us to discuss the role of governing boards and their impact on higher education’s ever-evolving landscape. Episode Resources: CSIG Resource Hub New...

As schools of civic thought expand across campuses in the United States, debate continues over whether these centers foster open inquiry or advance particular ideological agendas. Christopher Tollefsen, professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina and interim executive director of the Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse, joins us to discuss what it means to be...

This month we have the honor of talking with Shirley N. Weber, Ph. D., California Secretary of State, about voting, education and the future of democracy. Dr. Weber draws on both her lived experience and her storied career as an educator and national leader in expanding voter access to discuss barriers facing college student voters and the vital role higher education plays in cultivating civic res...

In the season five premiere of the SpeechMatters podcast, host Michelle Deutchman speaks with Center Co-chairs Howard Gillman, Chancellor of UC Irvine, and Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, about their upcoming book, Campus Speech and Academic Freedom: A Guide for Difficult Times. Against the backdrop of recent controversies — from legislative restrictions on teaching and campus protests to...

In the final episode of season four of the SpeechMatters podcast, guest host and former fellow Emerson Sykes of the ACLU sits down with UC Davis law professor and former fellow Brian Soucek to explore the idea of institutional neutrality in higher education and why neutrality may be a myth. Drawing on Soucek’s forthcoming book, “The Opinionated University,” the conversation examines whether univer...

What does it take to create a campus where open dialogue and inclusion thrive side by side? Guest host Alex Kappus talks with Caroline Mehl, the co-founder and executive director of the Constructive Dialogue Institute, about how higher education can model the kind of discourse democracy demands. Together they explore the social science behind constructive dialogue, what leaders can do to foster tr...

In this episode, constitutional law scholar Timothy Zick joins us to discuss how President Trump’s second term is testing our commitments to free expression and academic freedom. From the chilling of faculty speech to the fraught intersection of the First and Second Amendments, Zick examines how executive overreach is placing the nation’s core democratic freedoms under unprecedented strain. Episod...

For this special Constitution Day episode, SpeechMatters is joined by Dr. Colleen Shogan, the former Archivist of the United States, to reflect on the enduring legacy of America’s founding documents. From the urgent need for a national “civics renaissance” to the risks of political interference in how we teach history, the conversation offers powerful insights into what it means to safeguard our d...

Politicians, professors and pundits all seem to be talking about viewpoint diversity, and questioning whether it is a robust part of college and university life. But what does viewpoint diversity mean and how do we evaluate if it is alive and well on campus? Jon Shields, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, shares his take on why having a diversity of views in the classroom serves...

In this episode, we explore a powerful VOICE project that uses art and dialogue to empower immigration-impacted communities to share their stories. Guests Dr. Laura Enriquez, Giovanna Itzel and Breana Figueroa Perez discuss their approach to fostering reflection, connection and understanding through "artivism." They explore how creative expression can bridge divides, challenge perceptions and igni...

SpeechMatters kicks off our VOICE Summer Series by exploring the impact of the Civic Engagement Scholars Program (CESP) — a course created and taught by UC Santa Barbara VOICE recipients Katya Armistead and Viviana Marsano. Guest host Melanie Ziment talks with them and their students Sofia Aliamus and Ashley Segat about civic engagement education and how the course is inspiring the next generation...

In this month’s episode, we explore how  generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping education — from how students learn to how educators teach. Digital Promise President and CEO Jean-Claude Brizard joins us to discuss the opportunities and challenges AI presents. Whether you are an educator, parent or student, or just curious about this innovative technology, the conversation offers...

SpeechMatters welcomes Jeremy Young from the American Association of Colleges and Universities for a conversation about ongoing attacks on higher education — and what’s at risk if we don’t defend our colleges and universities. Jeremy discusses why it’s critical for higher education leaders to speak with a united voice, especially in light of growing government interference and censorship efforts u...

This month Michelle talks with UC Student Regent Josiah Beharry and Student Regent-Designate Sonya Brooks to explore the power of student leadership in shaping the university. Josiah and Sonya share their journeys to these roles, the challenges they have faced and strategies they have developed to advocate effectively. At a time when higher education is facing unprecedented challenges, their insig...

TikTok is banned (and then not). Meta eliminates fact-checking. Policy-makers debate how to moderate content and provide a safe online experience. So much is happening in the world of online speech, which is why we invited John Perrino, Senior Policy and Advocacy Expert at Internet Society to join the pod. He will help clarify what’s at stake, why it matters and how using technology in moderation...

2025 is hardly underway, and it’s already clear that the new year and new administration will spell changes for how the federal government regulates higher education. Joining us to discuss  the demise of the Chevron doctrine, the nominee for Secretary of the Department of Education and the role we can play in promoting the value of higher education is Jonathan Fansmith, the American Council o...

In the final episode of Season 3, Michelle sits down with Dr. Mary Anne Franks, a leading First Amendment scholar, to discuss her new book “Fearless Speech: Breaking Free From the First Amendment.” Dr. Franks unpacks the concepts of "fearless speech" and “reckless speech,” and delves into how her book reimagines free speech as a practice rooted in courage, candor and accountability. Episode Resour...

Internationally renowned election law expert, Rick Hasen, joins SpeechMatters to reflect on last week’s election, the role of disinformation in the lead up to it, and the types of challenges our democracy may face under the new administration.  Episode Resources: The Safeguarding Democracy Project: https://law.ucla.edu/academics/centers/safeguarding-democracy-project Election Law Blog: https...

Too often the conversation about expression in higher education centers on the social sciences, humanities and the law, which is why this month we are speaking with Dr. Catherine Lucey, executive vice chancellor and provost at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). We discuss the history of advocacy and community engagement at UCSF and how she thinks about current speech challenges. E...

Piya Bose, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UC San Diego, was part of the UCSD team that weathered an encampment, the cancellation of the school’s annual Sun God Festival, and the occupation of a campus Starbucks last academic year. She joins SpeechMatters to discuss lessons learned, how to apply them in the new year and remind us of the transformative power of a college or univers...

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court closed out its blockbuster term with expression-related decisions that affect the national regulatory and higher education landscape. Leading constitutional scholar and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky joins SpeechMatters to share both his insights on this Supreme Court term and his reflections on the tumultuous past year on campus. Episod...

Last season, as generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots dominated the national headlines, we explored the impact of new technologies on teaching, research and learning at colleges and universities. This year, we return to the topic of AI, with a focus on how the technology is affecting our election and information systems. Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Caus...

The anti-Gaza war protests and encampments that have taken place at universities across the country have drawn the attention of everyone from the President to the media and members of Congress, provoking comparisons with the student movements of the 1960s. Robert Cohen, the foremost expert on UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement (1964) and its famed orator Mario Savio, joins us to discuss what we ca...