University Presidents as Constitutional Actors and the Relationship Between Free Speech and Equality

• In Event: Law and Education SIG Paper Session

Abstract

College and university presidents regularly assert that both free speech and inclusion are central to the mission of the university. Grounded in the theory of civic constitutionalism and the theory of sensegiving, I conduct a qualitative content analysis of sitting university presidents’ (n = 28) written statements (n = 58) about free speech and equality to explore how presidents attempt to give sense to their communities and shape the relationship between these concepts. I find that leaders regularly employ anti-discrimination or anti-subordination understandings of equality, thus connecting to the larger legal discourse. Ultimately, the words of leaders at public and private universities alike shape the meaning of constitutional values.

Author

• Kristine Bowman, Michigan State University