Most College Presidents Worry That Speech Issues Could Trigger Violence

Seventy percent of college presidents are somewhat or very concerned about the prospect of violence on their campuses as a result of issues related to free speech and inclusion, a new survey has found. The American Council on Education questioned 471 college presidents of both public and private institutions for the study, which was released on Tuesday.

The wide-ranging survey comes at a time when many college leaders have wrestled with how to handle invitations extended to controversial speakers — including white supremacists like Richard B. Spencer — to appear on their campuses. The survey found that the most common methods leaders use to “manage the tension between free speech and inclusion on campus” include public statements that lay out institutional values, community forums, and the monitoring of social media “for potential causes for concern.”

Among the survey’s other findings:

• Eighty-two percent of presidents said promoting inclusion was extremely important, while 74 percent said protecting free-speech rights was very important (98 percent rated both as either very important or extremely important).
• Ninety-six percent of presidents, when asked to choose, would prefer allowing students to be exposed to many types of speech rather than protecting them by prohibiting speech.
• Thirty-nine percent of presidents said they expected the tension between free speech and inclusion to worsen on campuses nationally.
• Eighty-five percent of presidents said it was never acceptable for students to shout down speakers or try to prevent them from talking.
• Presidents tend to lean on their deans of students, provosts, and general counsels when setting institutional policy on speech and inclusion.

Andy Thomason oversees breaking-news coverage. Send him a tip at andy.thomason@chronicle.com. And follow him on Twitter @arthomason.