A whopping $100 million donation from an anonymous benefactor found its way into the coffers of the University of Chicago this week, intended to help the university bolster free speech on campus following a case in which a student claims an academic tried to get him expelled over controversial remarks.
This gift is intended to support the ongoing work of the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. The forum, which was inaugurated a year ago, is spearheaded by Tom Ginsburg, the Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law.
He stated, “We want the Chicago Forum to build on the University’s traditions as the place for cutting-edge thinking to address today’s challenges. We also want every student to have the experience of speaking their mind and the possibility of changing it in conversation with others. This transformative gift will allow us to build upon what we’ve started and have a much larger impact.”
David Rubenstein, the chair of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees and a 1973 alumnus, echoed Ginsburg’s sentiments.
During its first year, the Chicago Forum actively engaged with contentious subjects, hosting over a dozen events, including those on the conflict between Israel and Gaza and the ramifications of significant Supreme Court decisions.
The gift comes after a high-profile case involving student Daniel Schmidt, who stated last year that a professor at the University of Chicago was trying to get him expelled for highlighting an anti-white class called “the problem of whiteness.” The professor claimed the student, who has tens of thousands of social media followers, was bullying her.
Earlier this week, the president of the university said Schmidt was free to talk about controversial topics like race and IQ, as Schmidt has previously claimed low IQs are the reason ” black people are murdering and mugging my classmates.”
