Free inquiry and expression-related leadership appointments

From: Paul Alivisatos, President
Subject: Free Inquiry and Expression-Related Leadership Appointments  
Date: February 27, 2023

At its outset, the University of Chicago was founded upon the idea that academic freedom and freedom of expression serve as the bedrock of education and the wellspring of discovery. While our shared commitment to free inquiry and expression is vital to our university’s culture, the integrity of its practice should never be taken for granted. Each successive generation of faculty, students, and staff has taken on the necessary, often difficult work of giving these principles meaning throughout the University’s history. Today, I’m pleased to announce the appointment of two leaders who will play an important role in advancing them for our current age. 

Next fall, we will launch the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. Tom Ginsburg, the Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law and Professor of Political Science, has been a leading partner in helping me envision and develop plans for the UChicago Forum, and he will serve as its inaugural faculty director. With his guidance, the Forum will expand and enhance the University’s engagement across the constellation of issues related to free inquiry and expression, in collaboration with faculty and the broader university community. He brings to the role deep expertise in comparative and international law, with a particular focus on how democracies and constitutions function and flourish. 

With joint appointments in the Law School and the Department of Political Science, Tom attained his BA, JD, and PhD degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining the University’s faculty in 2008, he held myriad roles consulting and providing legal advice to numerous international organizations, development agencies, and governments, including the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal. In addition to his work at the University, he acts as co-director of the Comparative Constitutions Project and is a research professor at the American Bar Foundation. His publications have been broadly recognized with awards from the American Society for International Law, the International Society of Constitutional Law, and the American Political Science Association. Tom is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Marking his return to the University, Tony Banout will join Tom as the Forum’s inaugural executive director, effective April 3. Tony earned his PhD from the Divinity School, where he was a Martin Marty Center Junior Fellow and Provost Dissertation Fellow. He also holds a BS from Saint John’s University and an MA from Washington Theological Union. As senior vice president for Interfaith America, he has guided a leading civic organization in the development of strategies and programs devoted to democratic discourse and civil conversation across deep difference in and beyond higher education. Tony has spoken and published widely on free expression, constructive engagement of difference, and the civic relevance of religious diversity. A lifelong advocate for ideological diversity and inclusion in academia, he serves as a board member at Heterodox Academy. 

I have every confidence that Tom and Tony will make tremendous contributions to our university’s distinctive culture through their work developing and leading the Forum, and I welcome you to join me in eager anticipation for its launch.