The Opinionated University

“Soucek provides a nuanced approach to some of the most pressing issues surrounding university speech today. The book is rooted not only in his deep understanding of constitutional law and academic freedom, but also in a fine-grained view of how a university operates, as he considers the perspectives of students, faculty, administrators, parents, and politicians.” – Sigal R. Ben-Porath, author of ‘Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy’“In clear and compelling terms, The Opinionated University exposes ‘institutional neutrality’ as a myth. Brian Soucek argues that any definition of a university’s mission—its admission and hiring standards, its curriculum, its rules of conduct for faculty and students, the way it protects or denies free speech and academic freedom—reflects the values of the institution. It is those values that are currently under attack. The book offers a way of understanding the attacks and countering them—not with false declarations of neutrality, but with reasoned critical analysis of the political work such declarations perform.” – Joan W. Scott, author of ‘Knowledge, Power, and Academic Freedom’“Soucek addresses today’s highly controversial issues of academic freedom, diversity, and inclusion in a readily accessible conversational style. While asserting his own clear point of view, he is undogmatic, balanced, and consistently charitable toward opposing viewpoints.” – Paul Brest, former dean and emeritus professor, Stanford Law School“At a time when an authoritarian federal government is applying enormous pressure to force schools to align with the ideology of the president, Brian Soucek reminds us that the so-called neutrality principle can be a cover for quietism and collaboration. If universities don’t defend their values, who will?” – Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University

“The Opinionated University is, as it ought to be, an unabashedly opinionated book. Soucek is a professor of constitutional law at the University of California-Davis who was trained as a philosopher. It shows: At its core, his book is a logically compelling dismantling of what has become the mantra of American educational leaders—institutional neutrality, a doctrine that essentially means that, when in doubt, a university should voice no opinion at all.”

Brian Soucek is a Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California, Davis. A scholar of free speech and equality law, Soucek has shaped national policy on academic freedom, nondiscrimination, and campus speech through his work with the American Association of University Professors’ “Committee A” on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the University of California’s Academic Senate.