Freedom of expression is a core value at Columbia and at other institutions of higher education. Recent cuts to federal funding and federal immigration actions by the Trump administration have raised difficult questions as to how a university can accommodate offensive expression while preserving an academic environment that is free of discrimination and hostility on the basis of race, gender, national origin and other protected classes. This talk, led by the David J. Greenwald Professor of Law, Joshua Mitts BUS’18, will explore how these challenges manifested at Columbia during the preceding and current academic years. Attendees will consider how to preserve the University’s shared values and core purpose of pursuing knowledge against a backdrop of class disruptions, calls to violence and other challenges to academic freedom. Mitts will also discuss the growing legal and political pressures on Columbia specifically and universities more generally.