University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin will sit down with Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), on March 18, 2026, to discuss free expression on college campuses and across the country.
“For Me, But Not for Thee: Free Expression in Higher Education” will take place at the DeLuca Forum in UW–Madison’s Discovery Building from 4 to 5 p.m. Chancellor Mnookin and Lukianoff will discuss the rights, risks, and responsibilities of free expression in higher education. They will also address how UW-Madison scored on FIRE’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings, changes to free speech on college campuses under the Trump administration, and how UW–Madison can continue to build a campus culture that encourages vigorous discourse and civil dialogue. Lukianoff is a New York Times bestselling author, an attorney focused on the First Amendment and constitutional law, and a leading voice on the right to free speech. As president and CEO of FIRE, he advances their mission to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.
He brings decades of experience advocating for civil liberties, including testifying before both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives about free speech issues on America’s college campuses. Since 2021, FIRE has produced the annual College Free Speech Rankings.
Lukianoff’s visit is sponsored by UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Exchange initiative and the La Follette School of Public Affairs. The event will include opening remarks by Susan Yackee, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
“Learning happens best when people with different beliefs, experiences and backgrounds come together,” says Chancellor Mnookin. “The Wisconsin Exchange aims to build robust opportunities for members of our community to share their perspectives, listen and learn from one another, and grow and collaborate through meaningful dialogue across their differences. It will unite existing efforts and build new approaches to make civil dialogue part of everyday life on campus.”
The Wisconsin Exchange: Pluralism in Practice aims to help students, faculty, and staff engage, live, and lead in a polarized world. Its goals are to ensure UW–Madison is a flourishing, pluralistic campus and to serve as a national model for dialogue across differences.
The event is also supported by Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership, the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy (CSLD), and the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE).
To learn more about the event or to register, visit lafollette.wisc.edu.
