SpeechMatters

Explore the impact of state legislation on academic freedom, shared governance, curriculum and expression with guest Laura Benitez, senior manager, state policy and government affairs for U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America.
Episode Resources:
PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders and Higher Education Restrictions
Expanding the Web of Control: America’s Censored Campuses 2025
Snapshots of Censorship

In this month’s episode, we explore higher education governance — a topic that has drawn increasing attention and controversy in recent years. Drs. Demetri Morgan and Raquel Rall, co-directors of the Center for Strategic and Inclusive Governance, join us to discuss the role of governing boards and their impact on higher education’s ever-evolving landscape.
Episode Resources:
CSIG Resource Hub
New national center supports higher education governance | UCR News | UC Riverside
https://strategicinclusivegovernance.org/about-us/

As schools of civic thought expand across campuses in the United States, debate continues over whether these centers foster open inquiry or advance particular ideological agendas. Christopher Tollefsen, professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina and interim executive director of the Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse, joins us to discuss what it means to be a good citizen and the responsibilities that requires.
Episode Resources:
Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse - McCausland College of Arts and Sciences | University of South Carolina
Conservative(s) Teaching and Classroom Neutrality - Public Discourse
Heterodox Civic Center Reading Guide

This month we have the honor of talking with Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., California Secretary of State, about voting, education and the future of democracy. Dr. Weber draws on both her lived experience and her storied career as an educator and national leader in expanding voter access to discuss barriers facing college student voters and the vital role higher education plays in cultivating civic responsibility. Her insights offer hope and practical steps for strengthening democracy in 2026 and beyond.
Episode Resources:
More official California voting locations and vote-by-mail ballot drop-off locations can be found at caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov once the election gets closer.
For more information on the upcoming election, visit vote.ca.gov
To learn more about California’s college civic engagement efforts, visit California Students Vote Project

In the season five premiere of the SpeechMatters podcast, host Michelle Deutchman speaks with Center Co-chairs Howard Gillman, Chancellor of UC Irvine, and Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, about their upcoming book, Campus Speech and Academic Freedom: A Guide for Difficult Times. Against the backdrop of recent controversies — from legislative restrictions on teaching and campus protests to political pressure on colleges and universities — the episode explores how higher education leaders can navigate free speech, academic freedom and institutional governance in 2026.
Resources:
Campus Speech and Academic Freedom
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion - The New York Times