The President’s Forum Presents: “Are Colleges and Universities Too Liberal?”

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Biddeford Campus (Harold Alfond Forum Room 283)

Samuel J. Abrams, Emma Camp, Brandon Jett, and Lynn Pasquerella

Are colleges and universities fostering a liberal bias? If so, how has this progressive orientation taken hold, and is it something that should concern us? An esteemed panel of experts will explore these questions and more in the next installment of the UNE President’s Forum series, “Are Colleges and Universities Too Liberal?” to be held on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.

Panelists will tackle the contentious issue of ideological imbalance in higher education, asking whether it impacts teaching, learning, and students' political views. The conversation will examine whether this shift in faculty and professional staff perspectives poses a challenge to universities’ ability to foster diverse viewpoints and identify ways for higher education to rehabilitate its image and ensure more families feel comfortable sending their young people to college.

UNE is privileged to welcome a panel of national thought leaders in this subject area for the discussion.

Panelists

Samuel J. Abrams, Ph.D., professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
Emma Camp, B.A., assistant editor at Reason magazine
Brandon Jett, Ph.D., history professor from Florida
Lynn Pasquerella, Ph.D., president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities; former president of Mount Holyoke College

This conversation will embody UNE’s hallmark Marketplace of Ideas initiative, which reflects the University’s core belief that exposure to differing perspectives is essential to personal growth and meaningful education.

Jennifer DeBurro, Ed.D. ’24, dean of students at UNE and vice president for Student Affairs, will moderate the discussion, which will include ample opportunity for audience participation through comments and questions.

DeBurro has worked with college students for over 20 years and recently earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UNE. She has served as the national volunteer coordinator of NASPA, a leading organization of student affairs professionals in higher education, and is the past co-director of the Maine Association of Student Personnel Administrators.