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Educating for a Democracy in Question

Human Rights as a Constructive Frame for Academic Freedom and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Thursday, January 22, 2026
9:30 AM - 10:45 AM East Coast USA Time
Location: Georgetown University - Level M1

    Primary Presenter(s)

  • Michael Gavin

    President
    Delta College
    Bay City, Michigan, United States

    • Co-Presenter(s)

  • Amy Reid

    Director
    PEN America, United States

    PDF

  • Terry Brown

    Vice President
    American Association of State Colleges and Universities, United States

  • Paulette Granberry-Russel

    President
    National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, United States

  • Bobbie Laur

    President
    Campus Compact, United States

This panel will place the current challenges to higher education in a human rights frame: what levers can we pull to ensure that students continue to have access to an education free from government censorship? The speakers represent different organizations that approach this question from different perspectives—administrative leadership, student support, community and civic engagement, free expression—but we share a commitment to constructive engagement so that higher education can continue to meet its mission of providing high-quality educational opportunities to students for the health of our communities and our democracy. We will address how a human rights frame can inform not only our institutional approaches and priorities but also the broader strategic choices our sector faces.