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Should universities remain institutionally neutral on the great political and social questions of our time? Or does neutrality itself represent a choice about the role universities should play in public life? Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, discusses institutional neutrality, academic freedom, and the responsibilities of university leaders in a deeply polarized political environment. 

Drawing on his experience leading Wesleyan University and his extensive scholarship on higher education, Roth explores when universities should speak, when they should listen, and how institutions can protect open inquiry while engaging the challenges facing democracy.

Roth has served as president of Wesleyan University since 2007. A historian, author, curator, and public advocate for liberal education, he previously served as president of California College of the Arts and as associate director of the Getty Research Institute. His books include Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist's Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness (2019).

Roth visits campus in conjunction with the Townsend Center’s yearlong Sawyer Seminar on Neutrality: The Problems and Challenges of the Public University, funded by the Mellon Foundation. He is in conversation with Seminar leaders Stephen Best (English; Townsend Center) and Colleen Lye (English).