Join us for Heterodox Academy’s Brown Bag Colloquium Series, a virtual seminar series designed to highlight the scholarship and thought leadership emerging from our community.

This colloquium will feature Colleen Eren, Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at William Paterson University, presenting her latest research on institutional statements and academic freedom.

'Chilling Effects?' The Perceived Impacts of Political Statement-Making on Faculty at R1 Universities

As universities increasingly issued statements on political and social issues over the past 15 years, debates over these statements, and demands both for institutional neutrality and position-taking have intensified. But do they, as has been argued by Heterodox Academy and other proponents of viewpoint diversity in universities, indeed have a 'chilling effect'? Drawing on survey data from 250 tenure-track faculty at U.S. R1 universities, this presentation will examine faculty attitudes toward statements and the perceived effects of these statements on their exercise of academic freedom. Findings suggest that many faculty disagree with institutional statements, with substantial numbers reporting self-censorship and changes to their professional engagement with contentious topics as a result--but for reasons less tied to feelings of economic precarity than of concern with social isolation. The presentation explores what these findings may mean for academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and the case for institutional neutrality.

This colloquium offered exclusively to HxA members on June 3, 2026 at 2:00-3:00 PM EST will include time for audience discussion and Q&A. Register today to join the conversation.

About the speaker

Colleen Eren, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University. She was a fellow at Heterodox Academy’s Segal Center for Academic Pluralism, and is a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and Reason Foundation. She is the author of four books: Reform-Nation: The First Step Act and The Movement to End Mass Incarceration; The Impact of Supreme Court Decisions on U.S. Institutions;  Bernie Madoff and the Crisis, and Rip Currents. Her commentary on social issues has appeared in outlets including the New York Times, Inside Higher Ed, Reason, RealClear Politics, and Discourse Magazine.