The Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue task force introduces website; announces Heterodox Academy’s Campus Communities’ membership

The Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue (FECD) task force recently unveiled its inaugural website: freeexpression.charlotte.edu. The site provides information on events focusing on free expression topics occurring on campus, opportunities to engage with others, and resources to learn more about free expression and constructive dialogue. The FECD held four events this spring to inform and engage faculty and students on those topics.

The FECD also announces that UNC Charlotte is one of the 23 universities selected to join the initial cohort of the Heterodox Academy’s Campus Community Network. The Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to improve the quality of research and education by promoting open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in institutions of higher learning. Campus Community Network co-chairs will foster a community of academics to organize events, host monthly gatherings, and collaborate with leaders on their campuses.

The Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue Task Force was created in 2022 by then Provost Joan Lorden, and under the direction of the Faculty Advisory Library Committee of the Faculty Council, following a report commissioned by the UNC Board of Governors related to a survey exploring free expression on college campuses throughout the UNC System. Chaired by Anne Cooper Moore, dean of Atkins Library, the task force is charged with engaging the community to develop and practice the skills of speaking freely, openly and respectfully on all topics.

For more information about the FECD, contact Moore at anne.moore@uncc.edu.