An Extraordinary Gift in Support of Free Expression

Dear Members of the University Community, 

Today, I am thrilled to announce that an anonymous donor has committed $100 million in support of free inquiry and expression at the University of Chicago. Last year, the University launched the Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, and it will mark its first anniversary next week. With this extraordinary gift, the Chicago Forum will thrive and endure for years to come. 

Successfully upholding free inquiry and expression in a university requires a long-term commitment to building a culture that supports it, that flourishes from it, that even demands it. This is fundamental to a university that is truth seeking. Each generation of UChicago’s community has contributed new layers to the institution in protection of free inquiry and expression, from founding president William Rainey Harper’s vocal defense of academic freedom to the adoption of the Kalven Report and on to the Chicago Principles. 

The Chicago Forum is the newest layer–an environment set aside for us and others to grapple with important issues related to the preservation of academic freedom and the practice of free expression. The historic framing documents and the Chicago Principles summarize our institution’s best thinking on our philosophy and policies over time. But the actual practice of free expression takes place every day–in classrooms in every department and school, in dormitories and dining halls, and on the quads. This living culture and the norms we create by it involves engagement from each of us in our varied roles: tradeoffs and decisions and the cultivation of habits of mind and attitudes. In my view, the collective culture we build is so important that it deserves to have a place where it can be continuously discussed across the University and with partners from other universities and sectors of society.   

The magnitude of this gift mirrors the conviction of its donor. It was not made in furtherance of any ideology or political agenda. Rather, it is in the belief that this university has a calling to be principled and effective. The donor’s generosity represents a strong endorsement of the potential for the Chicago Forum to serve as the next step in our living commitment to upholding free inquiry and expression. It is to be the venue for the whole of the University community to come together and undertake the study and practice of all aspects of free inquiry and expression, and to do so in partnership with others beyond the University. 

Already in its first year, the Chicago Forum has made a strong case for itself during this highly contested period for higher education. On many occasions student groups sought the support of the Chicago Forum as they were reflecting on the practice of the Chicago Principles as issues they cared about deeply were unfolding. It also sponsored more than a dozen events on challenging topics ranging from the conflict in Israel and Gaza to significant Supreme Court rulings, as well as one with the University’s faculty about my decision to end the encampment last spring. Through the Academic Freedom Institute it formed, the Chicago Forum convened leaders from more than 20 colleges and universities to participate in workshops and explore how to strengthen academic freedom at their institutions. We live in an era marked by intense polarization, and having a place where rigorous inquiry and reason are exercised through the mechanisms of dialogue is important. With this gift, the University will expand the depth and reach of such vital work.

In the near term, the gift will enable the Chicago Forum to launch a variety of initiatives, including those that will allow it to expand its work on orientation programming, to offer support for faculty to explore free expression through a diversity of academic lenses, to establish a fellowship program for junior scholars, and to provide resources that will allow the University to bring prominent figures, including leading public intellectuals, to campus to engage in dialogue with the broader community. You can learn more about the gift and its impact at UChicago News.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude for the visionary support of the gift’s benefactor, which will ensure that the University remains at the forefront of defending and promoting the principles of free inquiry and expression. As we continue to navigate a world that increasingly demands thoughtful, courageous engagement with important issues, this gift will not only help empower our community to meet the moment with integrity and intellectual rigor, but also inspire others by our example.

Sincerely,

Paul

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Paul Alivisatos

President