Firing of Tenured Professor at Bakersfield College “Blurred Lines” Between Protected Speech and Conduct that May Merit Investigation, Says PEN America
Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, issued the following statement: “Universities should never throw the kitchen sink at faculty in an attempt to… More
118 Former Higher Education Presidents Launch Initiative to Combat Educational Censorship
“College campuses are the essential training grounds where the next generation is equipped with the tools to inhabit, strengthen and sustain our democracy,” said Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN… More
PEN America: Suspension of Wayne State University Professor for Social Media Post a “Blatant Overreaction”
Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education at PEN America, released the following statement: “The choice to suspend Shaviro and report his social media post to police is a… More
Cancellation of Drag Benefit Show on Texas Campus Goes Against Norms of Free Expression
“This cancellation is an abhorrent trampling of students’ free expression rights," said Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America. “It goes against university policy… More
Proposed New Laws Targeting TX Public Colleges Would Create a “Climate of Fear and Self-Censorship”
“Taken together, SB 16, 17, and 18 would make Texas public higher education inhospitable for free expression,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at… More
Proposed New Florida Law Would Place the “Most Draconian and Censorious” Restrictions on Higher Education in the Country, Says PEN America
“HB 999 would enact perhaps the most draconian and censorious restrictions on public colleges and universities in the country,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and… More
Florida University’s Investigation of Professor’s Teaching on Race is “Textbook Example” of Mishandling of Spurious Complaint, Says PEN America
“No university, even a private one, should violate the tenets of academic freedom, least of all to suit a political agenda,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of Free… More
Closure of Exhibit on Diversity and Civil Rights at Florida College, as Some Items Are Deemed “Offensive,” Sends the Wrong Message About Higher Ed and its Values, PEN America Says
(NEW YORK)– PEN America today said objections made over pieces of art in an exhibit at the State College of Florida—that led organizers to cancel it— were “clearly political… More
FL Governor DeSantis’ Proposals on Higher Education Pose a Grave Threat to Academic Freedom and Free Speech at Public Colleges and Universities
Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, said: “These proposals represent nothing less than an effort to substitute the dictates of elected officials… More
College Board’s Revision of AP African-American Studies Curriculum Dilutes the Course Content in Apparent Capitulation to Censors
Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, released the following statement: "Coming in the current political climate, the proposed changes appear to be an… More