Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Hands-On Career Preparation
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    Alternative Pathways
Sign In
Leader's Prerogative

At This College, the President Will Now Approve Speakers

By Abbi Ross April 21, 2022
A slender white man with black hair and a thin beard speaks to an audience from a stage. He is wearing a dark suit jacket with a white collared shirt. He is seen from the side, facing the viewer’s left.  A man in the background looks on.
David Azerrad’s talk at Saint Vincent College prompted a new policy. Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons

After a speaker earlier this month touted views that many felt were racist, officials at a small private college have created an unusual policy: From now on, all “college-sponsored” speakers must be approved by the president and other senior administrators.

Saint Vincent College, a Benedictine institution in Latrobe, Penn., announced the new policy this week. The goal, according to a news release, is “to make sure that the message to be delivered is not in conflict with the spirit and mission of the college.”

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

After a speaker this month expressed views that many felt were racist, officials at a small private college have cracked down: From now on, all “college sponsored” speakers must be approved by the president and other senior administrators.

Saint Vincent College, a Benedictine institution in Latrobe, Pa., announced the new policy this week in a letter from its president, the Rev. Paul Taylor. The goal, according to the announcement, is “to make sure that the message to be delivered is not in conflict with the spirit and mission of the college.”

The decision comes after David Azerrad, an assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale College’s government school, in Washington, D.C., gave a talk at Saint Vincent titled “Black Privilege and Racial Hysteria in Contemporary America.” It was part of a program sponsored by the college’s Center for Political and Economic Thought.

Within the first five minutes, Azerrad asserted that Kamala Harris would not be vice president if it were not for her father’s being Jamaican, and that “the real color of visible privilege in America today is Black.” Hillsdale officials didn’t respond to a voicemail seeking comment from Azerrad on Thursday.

Over the past few years, colleges across the country have grappled with what to do when provocative speakers come to campuses — often by invitation from faculty members or students. Some officials have disinvited speakers in response to criticism from the campus community.

Other campus leaders have denounced the views of speakers but allowed the events to go ahead — citing a commitment to academic freedom and, at public universities, an obligation to comply with the First Amendment. In one recent case, the State University of New York College at Brockport allowed a controversial invited speaker to proceed but moved the event online, citing safety concerns.

But two free-speech experts said Saint Vincent stands out for giving the college’s administration the authority to approve or deny speakers outright. “That is extreme,” said Alex Morey, director of the individual-rights defense program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, known as FIRE.

Father Taylor sees the new policy as a way to protect the college’s mission.

“What this policy does is, it puts first and foremost our mission, first as a liberal-arts university and as a Catholic and Benedictine college, that we respect academic freedom and freedom of speech. But this platform of our college and our mission will not be used for something that is contrary to what we believe,” the president said in an interview.

ADVERTISEMENT

Legally, Saint Vincent is within its right to impose stricter rules for speakers. Many private colleges have their own guidelines for campus visitors and events, and religious colleges like Saint Vincent often go a step further. For example, Brigham Young University, which is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, requires speakers to use “clean language.”

Saint Vincent, through its status and other policies, has been long been committed to freedom of speech, Morey said.

But Reverend Taylor denied that the new speaker policy violated anyone’s free speech or academic freedom. Inside the classroom and on campus, students and faculty members are encouraged to engage in discussions, debates, and arguments about any topic, he said.

“Every organization has a mission that they abide by, and every one of them does not allow or want someone or something to use that platform for something that is contrary to what they believe in,” he said. “That’s where the critical divide is.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of the free expression and education team for PEN America, a nonprofit working to defend free expression in the United States, believes Saint Vincent’s leaders are missing the mark.

“It’s totally understandable where they’re coming from,” Young said, given the content of Azerrad’s speech. “But the solution is not to get rid of free expression for every speaker and every group on campus.”

The policy’s application, Young added, seems too broad. “What’s a university sponsored speech?” he asked.

Father Taylor said he and his cabinet will now be approving speaking events that are open to the public and “outward facing” in any way. Officials won’t be getting involved when, say, guest lecturers visit classes, he said. The new policy concerns “public presentations sponsored by the college.”

Campus officials have organized virtual “listening sessions” for students to share thoughts on the policy, the president said, and will hold a campus forum on Friday.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Academic Freedom Leadership & Governance Law & Policy Campus Culture
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
About the Author
Abbi Ross
Abbi Ross was a reporting intern for The Chronicle.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Marva Johnson is set to take the helm of Florida A&M University this summer.
Leadership & governance
‘Surprising': A DeSantis-Backed Lobbyist Is Tapped to Lead Florida A&M
Students and community members protest outside of Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Campus Activism
One Year After the Encampments, Campuses Are Quieter and Quicker to Stop Protests
Hoover-NBERValue-0516 002 B
Diminishing Returns
Why the College Premium Is Shrinking for Low-Income Students
Harvard University
'Deeply Unsettling'
Harvard’s Battle With Trump Escalates as Research Money Is Suddenly Canceled

From The Review

Illustration showing a valedictorian speaker who's tassel is a vintage microphone
The Review | Opinion
A Graduation Speaker Gets Canceled
By Corey Robin
Illustration showing a stack of coins and a university building falling over
The Review | Opinion
Here’s What Congress’s Endowment-Tax Plan Might Cost Your College
By Phillip Levine
Photo-based illustration of a college building under an upside down baby crib
The Review | Opinion
Colleges Must Stop Infantilizing Everyone
By Gregory Conti

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin