As you might be aware, Dr. William (Bill) Ayers will be the guest lecturer for the Anna Funk Lockey Education Lecture on March 19, 2009. The invitation was extended by the School of Education’s Academic Cultural Enrichment Committee. Dr. Ayers’ lecture has resulted in a flurry of off-campus opinions. Many of the emails, phone calls, newspaper articles, and letters to the editors of the local newspapers condemn the selection of Dr. Ayers and his appearance at Millersville University. Some of these individuals have called upon me to rescind the invitation to Dr. Ayers and to cancel the lecture. It is likely that there are divergent opinions within the University community about Dr. Ayers’ appearance as well. On the other hand, many alumni and key external stakeholders have staunchly defended the University’s responsibility to select and host speakers, citing the very important role of America’s universities as serving as the marketplace of ideas. It should not be lost in any discussion of Dr. Ayer’s invitation to speak on urban education that neither the University nor the University’s donors necessarily endorse the background and views of speakers invited to campus, including Dr. Ayers.
Given the attention that the lecture has drawn and will likely continue to generate, I believe it is important to share the following facts with you:
· The committee selected Professor Ayers based on his extensive work in the field of urban education over the past twenty years.
· The committee selected Professor Ayers in the belief that our students and faculty will benefit from the opportunity to discuss with him ways that educators can better connect with urban students and their families.
· The lecture fees are paid from privately raised dollars, and any special security needs, which are required beyond those routinely provided for other special university events, will be covered by privately raised dollars
· Tickets to the free lecture will be distributed first to Millersville University students, faculty, and administrators.
While I personally reject any form of violence and strongly disagree with Dr. Ayers’ past actions and statements, I adamantly support the right of the committee to invite Professor Ayers to share his knowledge and research findings on urban education with our students and faculty. One of the core guiding principles of Millersville University (embodied in the strategic direction, Cultivating a Community of Diverse People, Thoughts and Perspectives) is that Millersville University will continually renew itself as a place where inquiry is encouraged, ideas are expressed openly, and the dignity and rights of all individuals are respected and protected. It is within that context that this lecture will occur. As usual, those who attend the lecture are expected to be respectful of the speaker and all others in attendance as is the case with all invited guests to the university. Millersville University has traditionally been the host to speakers who represent various perspectives and ideologies. Such a tradition has been the hallmark of MU since 1855.
Dr. Ayer’s work was supported by a $49 million grant from the Annenberg Challenge Program. Our University community will have the opportunity to hear what Professor Ayers has learned and observed in his work to shape Chicago’s public school reform program. We believe in our students’ ability to assess data and views thoughtfully. Those who attend the lecture can form their own thoughts and conclusions on the efficacy of that work.
In their timely article in the February 13, 2009, Chronicle of Higher Education, “The New Climate of Timidity on Campus,” A. Lee Fritschler and Bruce L.R. Smith reinforce the core value of colleges and universities as “openness, and diversity in thinking and expression.” They argue that we are a poorer nation if universities shrink from their obligation as a marketplace of ideas, and fall prey to “an emerging risk-averse campus climate that threatens to impoverish the intellectual vitality of undergraduate education.”
The opportunity to hear divergent voices is neither a liberal nor conservative political perspective, but instead, freedom of thought and expression are the bedrock of our democracy. Thus, our University will stay the course and remain true to its guiding principles, supporting a culture of free inquiry and self reflective learning to assist our students in becoming thoughtful individuals who will never lose their passion for engaging new ideas. Aristotle reminds us that “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
This is indeed the Millersville way.
Francine G. McNairy
President
