St. Olaf College: Faculty Institute Director Ousted for Inviting Controversial Speakers

On March 28, 2022, St. Olaf College told Edmund Santurri — director of the faculty-run Institute for Freedom & Community which aims to “foster constructive dialogue” on campus —  that his appointment as institute director would be rescinded because Santurri invited a number of controversial speakers to speak at the institute for a series on “Contemporary Controversies.” FIRE wrote St. Olaf on April 26 to explain that this decision violated faculty’s expressive and academic freedom rights guaranteed by both college policies and by virtue of its accreditation. On April 27, the college responded to FIRE denying it violated Santurri’s rights.