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Higher-ed leaders to discuss truth, trust and transformation at 2025 #SpeechMatters Conference

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#SpeechMatters

The higher education landscape is shifting. Members of the public are increasingly questioning the purpose and value of colleges and universities, and institutions are grappling with the fallout from a consequential national election and a year filled with campus protests.

On Thursday, April 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (PT), the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement will consider these opportunities and challenges, and explore with the role of colleges and universities in our democracy during the seventh annual #SpeechMatters Conference: “Truth, Trust and Transformation.”

This free virtual event brings together higher-education leaders from across UC and our nation to provide deep insights into their own experiences and current research.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from some of the greatest minds in education about topics that impact our university community.

Register online now to attend

Featured UC speakers and panelists

(More speakers may be announced closer to the event; see the event page for updates to UC participants and to view non-UC participants.)

  • Michael V. Drake, M.D., UC President
  • Howard Gillman, Chancellor, UC Irvine
  • Michelle Deutchman, Executive Director, UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement
  • Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, UC Berkeley School of Law
  • Saanvi Arora, Vice President, Student and External Affairs, UC Berkeley; Executive Director, Youth Power Project
  • Simone Chambers, Professor and Chair of Political Science, UC Irvine
  • Naniette Coleman, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, UC Berkeley


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