William F. Buckley Program at Yale Offers Intellectual Freedom

Reading the news about speaker shout-downs and graduation walkouts on campuses across the country, it is easy to believe America’s university system is a lost cause, barely resembling the engine of new ideas and innovation it is supposed to be. But at Yale, there are reasons to believe the tide is turning.

To be fair, Yale has not been a bastion of free speech. Earlier this year, Yale received a Lifetime Censorship Award from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) for “repeatedly violating the free expression and academic freedom rights of students and scholars.” In 2021, FIRE ranked Yale 131 out of 159 schools for student comfort in sharing their opinions in “writing, in class, and among their peers and professors.” The flagship university was similarly ranked 125 for ideological diversity and 123 for resistance to disruptive conduct.

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About the Author

Lauren Noble

Lauren Noble is the founder and executive director of the Buckley Institute.

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Reading the news about speaker shout-downs and graduation walkouts on campuses across the country, it is easy to believe America’s university system is a lost cause, barely resembling the engine of new ideas and innovation it is supposed to be. But at Yale, there are reasons to believe the tide is turning.

To be fair, Yale has not been a bastion of free speech. Earlier this year, Yale received a Lifetime Censorship Award from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) for “repeatedly violating the free expression and academic freedom rights of students and scholars.” In 2021, FIRE ranked Yale 131 out of 159 schools for student comfort in sharing their opinions in “writing, in class, and among their peers and professors.” The flagship university was similarly ranked 125 for ideological diversity and 123 for resistance to disruptive conduct.