This editorial was published by the Des Moines Register and The Courier.
The most practical way to view the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa is that it allows a broader range of ideas to flourish on campus.
Late last year, I had the honor of being nominated by Gov. Kim Reynolds to serve on the advisory board of the newly created Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa. The center was created from legislation that was passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2025, and pursues a mission “to advance top-tier scholarship in areas such as the texts and debates foundational to free societies, the principles and institutions of the American constitutional order, and the foundations of responsible leadership and informed citizenship.” In addition to programs and guest speakers, the center is also offering courses and other academic opportunities.
Many similar centers exist on college campuses that are both public and private. In fact, the Center for Intellectual Freedom now joins its peers at the other Iowa regents institutions, including the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Civic Education and Iowa State University’s Center for Cyclone Civics. However, what makes the Center for Intellectual Freedom unique is that it was created by the Legislature.
True academic diversity requires open deliberation and the inclusion of differing viewpoints, and the center provides an opportunity to bring more perspectives into campus conversations.
Curiosity and debate should be part of higher education. I taught history on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan University for 10 years, where I regularly participated in campus forums on civic issues, often providing a distinctly conservative perspective alongside other faculty voices. Open deliberation, not political advocacy (conservative or otherwise), was the goal.
Professor Wilfred McClay, a distinguished professor of history at Hillsdale College in Michigan, is also a member of the center’s advisory council, and an example of a notable historian who approaches the craft with responsibility and respectability. In an interview, McClay has stated that it “is not always a bad thing for good teachers to have a strongly held point of view, whether conservative or progressive, if they also have a commitment to the pursuit of the truth, and if they encourage a lively and open classroom, in which a diversity of perspectives is encouraged.”
To make the center a more valuable campus resource, it should expand its course offerings to include classes that count toward degree requirements. At present, the center’s courses do not provide credit toward a major or minor academic field of study. Most college students, working within limited time and financial resources, naturally prioritize courses that move them closer to earning their degree. As a result, participation in non-credit offerings is likely to remain limited. Expanding into full-credit coursework would better align the center with student priorities and help increase engagement on campus.
To improve civic education the Legislature is considering requiring survey courses in United States history and American government as part of the general education requirements. These courses, among others, could be offered through the Center for Intellectual Freedom and the other civic centers.
However one chooses to measure it, the country remains fairly evenly divided between those who lean to the right and those who lean to the left. If that balance is not reflected on a college campus, it may point to structural or institutional factors that discourage the open expression of certain viewpoints. In particular, if conservative ideas are perceived as unpopular in higher education, it may be because some students and faculty are hesitant to interact openly. The purpose of the center is to foster constructive debate and help ensure campus provides an environment where a broader range of ideas can be expressed and considered.
The most practical way to view the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa is that it allows a broader range of ideas to flourish on campus. Reasonable people can disagree, and the center offers students an opportunity to engage more deeply with the nation’s history while participating in thoughtful, open discussion of important issues. That is, after all, a key tenet of higher education.
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