The 2024 Alumni Summit on Free Expression: Creating Lasting Change

Amid the growing loss of confidence in American higher education, alumni nationwide remain steadfast in holding their alma maters accountable to their core principles—above all, free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity. They have organized into groups, advocated for institutional change, and shined a light on the failure of colleges and universities to live up to their true mission. What was once acknowledged only by a few is now recognized by many: American higher education needs serious reform. Truly, alumni are the guardians of values that will shape education and democracy for generations.

As a select, invitation-only event, the 2024 Alumni Summit on Free Expression, co-hosted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA), will be oriented around solutions, emphasizing specific, practical steps that alumni advocates can take to advance free speech on campus and create lasting change in higher education.

This conference is made possible by the generosity of the Stanton Foundation.

May 16, 2024 | 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

The summit will begin on Thursday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m. with an opening reception and dinner. Keynote remarks will be delivered by Governor Scott Walker, President of Young America’s Foundation and 45th Governor of Wisconsin (2011-2019). Drawing on his experience as a public official and engaged citizen, Gov. Walker will address free speech as a fundamental right and its central place in liberal education and democracy, including how alumni can best defend campus free speech for all in polarized times.

May 17, 2024 | 8:00 a.m - 4:30 p.m.

Continental Breakfast - 8:00 a.m.; Box Lunch - 12:00 p.m.

On Friday, May 17, the conference will begin with breakfast at 8:00 a.m., with special remarks from Dr. William B. Allen, Professor Emeritus for Political Philosophy at Michigan State University. He will speak on how alumni can help higher education fulfill a mission that relies on the free exchange of ideas, including constructive approaches to civil discourse and debate. Following breakfast, a distinguished lineup of panels that will explore effective approaches to free speech advocacy on campus will begin.

9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• The National Alumni Movement in Action

This panel will feature insight and commentary from four executive team members of prominent AFSA chapters. They will share why they got involved in the alumni movement, strategies for running alumni group operations and advocacy efforts, and key successes and lessons learned to date, along with future goals.

Moderator: Dr. Bryan Paul, Director of Alumni Advocacy & Curricular Fellow for the College Debates and Discourse Alliance at ACTA.

Panelists: Peter Bonilla, Executive Director of the MIT Free Speech Alliance; Kevin Cook, Executive Director of Davidsonians for Freedom of Thought and Discourse; Kaleigh Cunningham, Director of Outreach & Communications for Princetonians for Free Speech; and Libby Klinger, Vice President of Development and Administration for the Jefferson Council.

• Campus Programming and Partnerships for Lasting Change

In this panel, scholars and advocates of civil discourse will consider how alumni can work with students, faculty, and administrators to protect free expression and viewpoint diversity on campus.

Moderator: Dr. Jenna Robinson, Vice Chair of AFSA & President of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.

Panelists: Dr. Jed Adkins, E. Blake Byrne Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Director of the Civil Discourse Project at Duke University; Dr. Lindsay Hoffman, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Delaware; Dr. Tabia Lee, Director of the Coalition for Empowered Education; Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA; and Dr. Timothy Shaffer, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse for the SNF Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware.

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

During lunch, we will hear pre-recorded remarks from Governor Spencer J. Cox, 18th Governor of Utah (2021-present), who will address the role that free speech and civil discourse can play in overcoming toxic polarization in American higher education and society at large.

1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

After lunch, alumni will learn about ACTA’s College Debates and Discourse Alliance and participate in a civil discourse workshop. This program has taught thousands of students and faculty across the nation the essential habits of respectful debate. Attendees will participate in a debate themselves and learn how to bring this program to their campuses.

3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

After the civil discourse workshop, attendees will break into small roundtable discussions to share regional/institutional knowledge and experiences and brainstorm strategies for building positive programming and partnerships on their own campuses.

4:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

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Please RSVP no later than March 31, 2024. Space for this event is limited, so please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to attend.

The Mayflower Hotel offers a special rate of $349/night for summit attendees on May 16-17. A hotel registration link will be distributed shortly. All reservations must be made by April 26, 2024.

For more information, please contact Clare Doyle at (202) 507-4619 or [email protected].

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, United States