Diversity has been a touchstone of American higher education for three decades. Universities have labored to pursue racial, ethnic, and gender diversity—in the conviction that this will foster open-minded exchanges and free inquiry. However, two recent studies have raised questions about whether this pursuit of diversity has somehow resulted in ideologically uniform, overwhelmingly liberal faculties. At this conference, Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), and professor Daniel Klein of Santa Clara University will present new research on the partisanship of university faculty and on the effect of their ideologies on learning in the classroom or on campus.

Panelists Roger Bowen, general secretary of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) will join the discussion. Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at AEI, will moderate.