Featured Articles: “Establishing intellectual freedom at the University of Iowa”and “UVA’s Administration Is Stonewalling on Viewpoint Diversity Too”

While the nation watches with bated breath the situation unfolding in the Middle East, American higher education continues to stir its own controversy. But there is also a glimmer of hope.
 

At times, it is worthwhile to compare and contrast how states go about furthering education reform efforts or how colleges and universities within the states hinder progress in dismantling discriminatory ideology in hiring, admissions, and classrooms.
 

Though Virginians voted for a republican governor in 2022—which was the first time in nearly a decade—the state is still considered blue. Even under republican leadership and President Donald Trump’s many directives for higher education to dismantle “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs, many colleges and universities in Virginia and elsewhere are pushing back. Case in point: the University of Virginia (UVA), which is currently under investigation by the federal government for attempting to maintain its DEI regime in secret.
 

Scott Gerber writes in an article for Minding the Campus that UVA’s administration is “stonewalling” the Board of Visitors’ March and April Resolutions—which sought to dismantle DEI and increase viewpoint diversity at the school. At UVA's June Board meeting, administrators clashed with Board members. When faced with questions about UVA’s proposed 2025-26 budget, which continued to spend money on DEI, Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Wagner snapped at Board member Doug Wetmore that she was “wildly disappointed” by Wetmore’s remarks. Later, Interim Provost Brie Gertler admitted that she was being “strategic” in her presentation in order “to convince the Board to allow UVA’s existing liberal faculty to attempt to summarize the conservative position on controversial topics rather than hire conservative faculty to speak for themselves.”
 

The discussion at the UVA June Board meeting revealed that the university was really not working on “dismantling DEI” or “increasing viewpoint diversity.” In summary, Gerber tells a common tale: administrators obstructing the wishes of the people through camouflage and deception.
 

Thomas Jefferson, UVA’s founder, would certainly shake his head at UVA’s current state of affairs. 
 

Compare this to the progress being made in Iowa. Last week, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 437 (HF 437) into law, which establishes a Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa. Establishing this Center is a step in addressing the civics education crisis, which plagues all levels of education, according to John Hendrickson and David Randall in an article for The Center Square. The National Association of Scholars is also happy that HF 437 became law, and that the Civics Alliance’s model School of Intellectual Freedom Act informed the legislation. 
 

This Center provides faculty, courses, and programs dedicated to teaching American history and government that deepens students’ understanding of our Constitution and principles of our Founding. In establishing this Center, students will be less prone to ideological capture by progressive influences because they will have a better understanding of their birthright as Americans and their duty to act as virtuous citizens. 
 

Graduates from the Center will be a new generation of teachers who can reinvigorate civics education to replace the current “action civics” pervading the K-12 sphere. As I wrote last week, how will students know the importance of their rights, the duties of citizenship, or why they should vote if the extent of their civics education consists of protesting during school hours?
 

UVA's administrators would do well to study and replicate efforts that advance intellectual freedom, foster the pursuit of truth, and cultivate virtuous citizenship. If more states follow Iowa’s lead in passing legislation to secure these ideals, higher education may yet reclaim its true purpose.   
 

Until then, the burden falls on institutions themselves to root out indoctrination and restore integrity to their mission.
 

Until next week.

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