What University Presidents Can Learn From Past Protests.

The article examines the contrasting approaches of university presidents toward student protests, highlighting recent campus arrests authorized by institutional leaders compared to more engaged and protective responses during the 1960s civil rights and free speech movements. It details historical examples, such as University of California President Clark Kerr's defense of academic freedom amid anti-communist investigations and University of Chicago President George Beadle's negotiations with students protesting housing discrimination, illustrating how dialogue rather than police intervention supported democratic principles and academic freedom. The piece argues that contemporary university leaders should learn from these past successes by fostering open engagement with student activists instead of suppressing dissent through law enforcement, emphasizing the educational responsibility of higher education institutions to prepare students for democratic participation.