Oakland University will bring together two of the nation's most prominent free speech advocates next week, as Greg Lukianoff and Nadine Strossen headline a conversation titled “Freedom of Speech at America's 250th Birthday” on September 30 at 7 p.m. in Varner Recital Hall. The talk anchors a broader two-day summit examining civil discourse, the First Amendment and political violence on college campuses, arriving amid growing civil discourse efforts at Michigan universities.
The event is the latest installment of the Dennis Muchmore Public Policy Series, which Oakland University established through its Center for Civic Engagement as a forum for conversations about issues of public importance. Lukianoff serves as president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, while Strossen is a past president of the American Civil Liberties Union and now an expert and commentator on constitutional law and civil liberties. The pair are co-authors of “The War On Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail,” a book Lukianoff's organization notes was released in July 2025, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's staff biography of him, viewable via fire.org.
Strossen also serves on the advisory boards of the ACLU, the Academic Freedom Alliance, Heterodox Academy, the National Coalition Against Censorship and the University of Austin, per the seed reporting from The Oakland Press. The event will feature a conversation about where free expression stands in America.
A Two-Day Summit With a Private Kickoff
The Varner Recital Hall conversation is just one piece of a larger Summit on Civil Discourse, Freedom of Speech and Political Violence on College Campuses, running September 30 through October 1. Before the public talk, a private, invitation-only reception is set for 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Meadow Brook Hall, according to Oakland University's civil discourse page.
The next morning, panel discussions shift to the Royal Park Hotel in downtown Rochester, beginning at 9:15 a.m. on October 1. The Oakland Press reports that the Royal Park Hotel will host panel discussions throughout the day as part of the broader event. Sessions that day are slated to cover the First Amendment and free expression on college campuses, campus political violence in modern America, and practicing civil discourse, according to Oakland University.
Part of a Larger Push on Campus Speech
Oakland University describes the summit as part of a multi-pronged, multi-year project focused on civility, civil discourse, freedom of expression and viewpoint diversity, a commitment the university details on its civil discourse initiative page. That effort has already touched Oakland classrooms: in mid-February, political science professor Dave Dulio led his Civil Discourse class in a discussion of the First Amendment, as reported by the Detroit News, which noted that civil discourse efforts are growing across Michigan universities amid a polarized political climate.
Following Rove, Brazile and Two Former Governors
The Muchmore series has previously drawn political heavyweights to Oakland's campus. Its inaugural 2023 event featured former Michigan governors James Blanchard and Rick Snyder discussing civic responsibility, and in October 2024 the series hosted political operatives Karl Rove and Donna Brazile for a conversation on Michigan's role in the national campaign conversation, both according to Oakland University's series page. Next week's pairing of Lukianoff and Strossen continues that pattern of bringing nationally recognized figures to Rochester to confront questions of speech, dissent and democracy as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.
