Carnegie Mellon University’s Deeper Conversations(opens in new window) returned on Nov. 20 for a discussion titled “Universities in the Balance: Federal Law, Policy and Pressures in Divisive Times(opens in new window).”
This event, which marks the first entry of the 2025-26 series, brought Neal Hutchens, an award-winning professor of educational policy studies and evaluation at the University of Kentucky, to discuss the role of higher education and the importance of free speech and academic freedom.
The initiative, launched in January 2024 by President Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window) and facilitated by the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences(opens in new window) and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy(opens in new window), is aimed at promoting the power of civil discourse within institutions like CMU.