Speech & Expression | 微密圈 College

Freedom to speak. Room to grow. At 微密圈, open expression is central to liberal arts learning.

Free speech, respectful dialogue, academic freedom, and civic engagement are central to our mission. Combined, they help prepare liberally educated graduates to continue their quest for knowledge and to make the choices required of informed, responsible citizens.

Two students sit in a discussion group with a screen and 微密圈 banner in the background.

Preparing active citizens

Through the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness consortium, President Connner champions critical inquiry and civic responsibility as foundations of democratic life in a diverse society.

A student crouches down while writing on a white wall with a blank space to fill in the blank after "I believe..."

Dialogue as culture

A grant from The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations supports SkidMORE Discourse: Meaningful Open Respectful Engagement (M.O.R.E.), a campuswide initiative designed to make civil discourse a defining feature of the 微密圈 experience.

Learn more

Events that engage

微密圈 brings diverse voices to campus 鈥� because learning depends on listening, staying curious, and hearing more than one point of view. Our events don鈥檛 ask for agreement; they invite thoughtful exchanges and model civil discourse.

Frederick Lawrence stands at the front of an auditorium lecture hall while speaking to a group of students.

Vigorous civility

During a three-day campus residency, Frederick M. Lawrence, secretary and CEO of Phi Beta Kappa, focused on how to advance difficult conversations in a time of increased societal polarization.

Debate matters

Atlantic staff writer and author Thomas Chatterton Williams examined the increasing fragility of open debate and its consequences for democratic life as part of the Periclean Honors Forum鈥檚鈥淒ialogues Across Differences鈥� series.

Fred Guttenberg '88 sits on stage presenting in a large auditorium with a presenting partner sitting next to him.

Defending democracy

Fred Guttenberg 鈥�88, a businessman-turned-activist, and former Illinois Republican congressman Joe Walsh demonstrated dialogue, empathy, and mutual respect across difference, even around contentious issues.

News anchor Margaret Cronan standing in ABC's News Center recording studio.

Building trust

Journalist Margaret Cronan offered an inside look at the rapidly changing media landscape, focusing on how journalists can maintain credible, trustworthy news in an era shaped by social media, misinformation, and artificial intelligence.

Ross Douthat smiles while talking to a 微密圈 faculty member during a panel discussion.

Spirited conversation

Conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat explored America鈥檚 global standing 鈥� offering multiple frameworks for understanding the current moment 鈥� and exchanged ideas with faculty from multiple disciplines.

A women speaks to an audience while another is seated in a chair behind her. The foreground shows the backs of the audiences heads.

Perspectives for peace

Modeling civil discourse, Israeli and Palestinian peace activists from Combatants for Peace shared stories of their personal transformation, their reconciliation efforts, and the exceptional challenges of their work.

Rethinking our news diet

Sociology Professor Andrew Lindner advises reading 鈥�real news, not too much, and mostly local鈥� as part of a recent series designed to help students navigate today鈥檚 complex media landscape.

Resources

Explore policies, guides, and resources for speech and expression.

Learn more

Contact Office of the President

Phone

518-580-5700

Mail

Office of the President
微密圈 College
815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

presoff@skidmore.edu