Viewpoint Diversity in Higher Education

Much has been said and written recently regarding viewpoint and ideological diversity, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression in American higher education. Anti-Israel campus demonstrations, ongoing debate surrounding preferential admissions and hiring policies, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University have all contributed to this critical moment in American higher education. We will likely determine in short order whether colleges and universities in the United States can in fact live up to being places where diverse viewpoints are welcomed and speech is protected, including ideas and opinions that run counter to dominant and prevailing perspectives.

Critics of American higher education have accused colleges and universities of operating and educating students through a decidedly progressive worldview. While some of the critique is extreme and some often-quoted examples represent only the most egregious of offenses to free expression, university leaders and faculty would be wise to not reject the criticism out of hand. Hiring policies and practices at many public universities have led to faculty bodies that are decidedly left leaning, and in some instances, with faculty who are hostile to religious or conservative perspectives. Expectations and standards for faculty promotion and tenure, academic publications standards, and peer reviewers who serve as gatekeepers to publication have all had a hand in creating and enforcing progressive leaning norms and standards. Conservative students at public institutions speak often of their fear of accidentally outing themselves as conservatives, and their perceived need to hide their religious convictions or political preferences in their writing and speech.

Having lived professionally in colleges and universities since 2009, in varying roles at public and private institutions, I have experienced this tension personally. As a newly promoted and tenured faculty member at the University of Kentucky, I carefully considered whether I would accept an executive role in state government in a new Republican administration. As a relatively young professional at the time, I weighed the implications for my career in higher education. I knew taking the position would result in altered or severed relationships with colleagues and friends, discomfort in professional meetings and associations, and more limited opportunities for employment and advancement upon my return to higher education. In the end, my desire to positively influence the learning opportunities and outcomes for students, particularly economically disadvantaged students, outweighed concerns about my higher education career.

Should the response to a public higher education system that operates decidedly left of center be to reimagine and recreate it in the image of conservatism? I pray not. Instead, our public institutions should once again become places where students and faculty with varied ideological perspectives are welcomed, their speech is protected, and their work evaluated based solely on its merit, without fear that their religion, who they voted for, or their stance on tax or immigration policy will lead to moral judgement, ridicule, or marginalization on campus. Public colleges and universities are heavily subsidized by the tax dollars of progressive, moderate, conservative, and apolitical taxpayers alike. Up until now, Americans have supported this use of tax dollars because we believe these institutions serve a public interest, that what they provide is a collective benefit to all, regardless of our individual religious identities, political preferences, or whether we ourselves or our children attend public colleges and universities. The public is unlikely to continue such levels of financial support without movement toward greater ideological balance on campuses.

The Christian University and Viewpoint Diversity

Religious colleges and universities like Houghton are not taxpayer funded and have different missions than public colleges and universities. With the protections of federal and state law, Christian institutions often hire staff who align with their religious beliefs. For example, as an institution of The Wesleyan Church, Houghton’s employees’ beliefs and behavior are expected to align with orthodox Christianity and the core tenets of the denomination’s doctrine. Not only is such alignment a requirement of the Church, but it is essential to carry out Houghton’s mission of providing an academically challenging higher education experience in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition. Students choose Houghton and institutions like it knowing that they will be educated through an intentionally Christian worldview.

Still, exposure to and consideration of diverse viewpoints is a critically important part of a Houghton education. With uncompromising clarity concerning Houghton’s Christian beliefs and values, faculty are expected to expose students to various viewpoints, including conflicting ones. Houghton graduates leave the institution having engaged in learning experiences that have pushed and challenged them to think, to question, and to defend. We believe there is no better place for young Christians to be challenged and exposed to diverse viewpoints than in a supportive Christian learning community.

A Christian can understand the beliefs of Muslims and Hindus yet remain firmly grounded in the truth of the Gospel. A Christian can work collaboratively and live respectfully in community with Buddhists and atheists, while refusing to compromise or negotiate on the inerrancy of God’s Word. My hope and prayer for Houghton graduates is that they leave Houghton and live their lives as men and women convinced of the truth of the Gospel; not because they have not learned of other faith traditions or conflicting perspectives, but because they personally know and have experienced the love, grace, and peace of Jesus Christ. Our aim is to equip life-long scholar-servants who know and can articulate who they are, whose they are, what they believe, and why they believe it.