The University of Austin — Yes, That One — Is Really Happening The University of Austin has raised a lot of eyebrows— and plenty of money, too. Harry Campbell for The Chronicle

• Published in: The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Main Author: Bartlett, Tom
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Chronicle of Higher Education 11.11.2022
• Subjects: Academic Freedom; Activism; College campuses; College students; Colleges & universities; Donations; Entrepreneurship; Essays; Fund raising; Higher education; Presidents; Social factors; White people; New York; United States > US
• ISSN: 0009-5982

[...]the chilling effect extends beyond campus: “If they prioritize emotional comfort over the often-uncomfortable pursuit of truth, who will be left to model the discourse necessary to sustain liberty in a self-governing society?” Furrow-browed jeremiads bemoaning the state of higher education in the United States are plentiful, but this essay added a twist: the author, Pano Kanelos, revealed that he and a small band of similarly concerned compatriots were starting a university of their own, one that would resurrect the ideals they believed others had ditched. According to Ferguson and Lonsdale, Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, and also of Palantir, was involved in some early discussions, but he didn’t think a new university was the right approach. Heying and her husband, Bret Weinstein, left Evergreen State College after student protesters targeted Weinstein over his opposition to a “Day of Absence,” in which white people were asked to stay off campus. Another was Peter Boghossian, who believed that Portland State University, where he taught, had become a “Social Justice factory” rather than a place of learning. Though he doesn’t consider UATX mainly a shelter for firebrand academics: “Our primary goal was to build a university truly committed to the pursuit of truth with academic freedom as a key part of its design.”