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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our 26-27 VOICE Recipients! We are pleased to announce our 26-27 VOICE recipients, whose work reflect the UC system’s wide range of original and inspirational perspectives, programming and research. buff.ly/vpwZEvL

Graphic announcing the 2026–27 VOICE recipients, featuring 11 photos of recipients in a combination of headshots, UC campus and program logos. Text reads, “Congratulations 26–27 VOICE Recipients!”

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Center Assistant Director Elizabeth Niehaus argues that higher education must support the civic engagement of faculty members as well as students. Read her latest piece in Inside Higher Ed: buff.ly/xo0ZJgg

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Supporting Civic Engagement Is About Faculty Too (opinion)

To fulfill Its democratic mission, higher ed must better support faculty civic engagement too.

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Tune in today at 12 pm PT/ 3 pm ET for “Principles and Political Theatre: Strategic Communication for Trust-Building and Advocacy.” Register now! buff.ly/I5mDT7F

Graphic for “Fellows in the Field” featuring the title “Principles and Political Theatre: Strategic Communication for Trust-Building and Advocacy” and fellow names Susan Balter-Reitz, Michael Bruner and Bryan Gentry. The three fellows’ headshots appear along the bottom right.

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Center Executive Director Michelle Deutchman will be joining a panel hosted by the Constructive Dialogue Institute to discuss what students are thinking about the midterms and how campuses can build trust and connection through election programming.

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Midterms 2026: Fostering Civic Engagement in a Polarized Climate

Live session on October 1, 2026

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

How can campuses help students engage with the 2026 midterms when distrust, dysfunction, and polarization can make participation feel difficult?

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https://hubs.ly/Q04xJ6N30

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

How to tell a good story well: How can university communications help rebuild public trust? 2025-26 Fellow Bryan Gentry explores the critical role university communications play in rebuilding trust and protecting free expression. Explore his research: buff.ly/bZxWDv4

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https://buff.ly/bZxWDv4

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Reposted by UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

Scholars Strategy Network @scholars.org · 25/09/2026

In this @insidehighered.com op-ed, Elizabeth Niehaus (@ucfreespeech.bsky.social) argues that colleges should go beyond supporting student civic engagement to also include faculty. She provides clear guidance on how higher ed leaders can do so. Read:

insidehighered.com

Supporting Civic Engagement Is About Faculty Too (opinion)

To fulfill Its democratic mission, higher ed must better support faculty civic engagement too.

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

2025-26 Fellows Susan Balter-Reitz and Michael Bruner offer strategies for navigating legislative encounters and making the case for higher education more effectively. Explore their research here: buff.ly/0fdDF7T

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https://buff.ly/0fdDF7T

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It’s all about reading the room. How can higher education leaders more effectively engage with legislators in different political and legislative environments?

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🚨Less than 1 week away! Register for our upcoming Fellows in the Field workshop, “Principles and Political Theatre: Strategic Communication for Trust-Building and Advocacy,” on September 29 at 12pm PT.👇 buff.ly/siB2MIL

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

📢 New #SpeechMatters podcast episode! 🎧 Tune in to “The Promise and Peril of AI for Democracy” featuring special guest host assistant director Elizabeth Niehaus with guests Nathan Sanders from Harvard University and Bruce Schneier from Harvard Kennedy School. ▶️ buff.ly/ze9u8GG

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A federal judge ruled that a U.S. Military Academy at West Point policy restricting faculty speech violated the First Amendment. Read more: buff.ly/izcVbDd

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/09/08/judge-rules-west-point-policy-restricting-professors-speech-is-unconstitutional/

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Happy #ConstitutionDay! 📜 Celebrate the signing of the Constitution on this day in 1787 with these fun facts.👇

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🚨 Tomorrow! Have a specific question about student voting in your state or on your campus? Join us for a webinar tomorrow, September 15 at 12 pm PT to discuss and learn about navigating today’s student voting landscape. Register and submit your questions now: buff.ly/Vqoehv9

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the Center’s 2025-2026 class of fellows! We’re pleased to release the results of their year-long projects. Explore their research: buff.ly/9AIuenD

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Fellows Kaleb Briscoe (23-24) and Ryan Miller (21-22) are two of the co-authors of the ASHE Presidential Commission on Responding to and Reshaping Higher Education Policy report. 🔗 buff.ly/l6IsrzF

assets.noviams.com

https://assets.noviams.com/novi-file-uploads/ashe/pdfs-and-documents/Reports/ASHE_Presidential_Commission_on_Responding_to_and_Reshaping_Higher_Education_Policy.pdf

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Texas Tech University is using A.I. to review course content on sexual orientation and gender identity, raising questions about academic freedom and the use of A.I. in evaluating course material.👇 buff.ly/Mkzz9KG

nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/texas-tech-artificial-intelligence-ideology-brandon-creighton.html

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Have a specific question about student voting in your state or on your campus? Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, September 15 at 12 pm PT to discuss and learn about navigating today’s student voting landscape. Register and submit your questions now: uci.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

20-21 Fellow Brian Soucek is featured in a symposium issue of the Boston University Law Review for his essay, “Individual and Collective Academic Freedom.” 🔗 buff.ly/64N5xGI

bu.edu

Volume 106, Issue 4 | Law Review

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

How can colleges support student voting rights? Read more from Jonathan Becker in this New York Times op-ed: buff.ly/bBDGfOb ICYMI: Hear more on our podcast, “Youth Power at the Polls: The Evolution of College Student Voting Rights.” ▶️ buff.ly/cVYCoFS

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🚨#SpeechMatters podcast alert! Tune in to “Youth Power at the Polls: The Evolution of College Student Voting Rights” with guests Jonathan Becker from @bardcollege.bsky.social and Yael Bromberg from American University Washington College of Law. 🎧 buff.ly/cVYCoFS

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The AAUP filed a lawsuit against Texas A&M to block a policy that limits discussion of “race or gender ideology” in class. The suit is the latest in the organization’s efforts to challenge policies it says threaten academic freedom. buff.ly/ahhDm7v

insidehighered.com

How 2 Lawsuits Could Tee Up National Academic Freedom Fight

The AAUP’s suits against Texas A&M and Texas Tech could bring questions about academic freedom to the “unpredictable” Fifth Circuit, which has yet to weigh in on the issue.

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent an open letter to colleges and universities calling on them to address seven subject areas, including free speech. 🔗 buff.ly/MVEZNss

nytimes.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/us/trump-mcmahon-colleges-letter.html

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

How can proposed accreditation rules affect academic freedom protections and free speech on college campuses? Read more in this op-ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education:

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Opinion | Trump’s Gift to Academic Freedom? It’s Complicated.

New standards for accreditation would protect campus speech more robustly than current law does.

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Reposted by UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

Johns Hopkins Arts & Sciences @jhuartssciences.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Professor Anna Harwell Celenza joined @ucfreespeech.bsky.social's Speech Matters podcast to explore music, democracy, and America at 250, from "Strange Fruit" to the songs that shaped a nation. 🎙️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

graphic that reads Speech Matters Podcast, Sounds of Democracy: Music and America at 250, Anna Harwell Celenza, Michelle Deutchman, University of California

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

🎧 Tune in to the latest #SpeechMatters episode, “Sounds of Democracy: Music and America at 250” with guest @annacelenza.bsky.social from Johns Hopkins University. ▶️ buff.ly/pwhmmxn

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

2026-2027 Fellow Daniel Lane is featured for his upcoming Center research, “AI as a Civic Educator: Artificial Intelligence and the Civic Future of American College Students.” buff.ly/VzHp0Ce

news.ucsb.edu

Comm scholar Dan Lane named UC fellow for research on AI and civic engagement

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

A former University of Tennessee at Knoxville professor reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the university. Her lawsuit alleged she was fired in retaliation for speech protected by the First Amendment. 🔗 buff.ly/SniNosM

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

A national advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the UC system alleging its anti-harassment policies violate free speech. Read more:

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UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement @ucfreespeech.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

The American Association of Colleges and Universities released a framework for advancing public trust in higher education. Read it here:

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