Alumni in action at the University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania has made the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Thankfully, its alumni are here to help. 

Last week, Penn alumni formed the Penn Alumni Free Speech Alliance to voice their concerns about their alma mater’s trajectory after Liz Magill’s renunciation of free speech principles and resignation from office.  Through this group, alumni hope to reform the university’s problematic speech codes and encourage it to adhere to its free speech promises.

Even when Magill attempted to defend free expression in the congressional hearing on anti-Semitism, the leaders of the newly formed alumni group were skeptical that Penn leadership really cared about free expression. And looking back on Penn’s history, it’s no wonder that alumni are concerned. Over the past 5 years, Penn students and faculty have endured intimidation by an administration that refused to support constitutionally protected but controversial expression. Just a few examples include: 

• In 2022, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb faced public condemnation from leadership at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school for his opinions about anti-racism in STEM.
• The Penn administration changed the venue and restricted access to a scheduled lecture on campus by conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza.
• The school’s arbitrary decision to deny recognition to the Hunting, Archery, and Shooting club. 

Survey data from FIRE’s 2024 College Free Speech Rankings demonstrates that these administrative actions have not gone unnoticed by the students. Among the colleges surveyed, Penn students demonstrated some of the lowest confidence levels that their administration would protect free expression. For example, only 4% of Penn students said it was “extremely likely” that the administration would stand up for the rights of a speaker during a controversy over an individual’s speech. Students also reported being afraid to discuss difficult subjects, and a whopping 91% of students reported feeling afraid of how fellow students, faculty members, or administrators would respond. 

With numbers like these, it’s no wonder that Penn’s campus climate ranked second-to-last nationally in the College Free Speech Rankings, just behind Harvard, which earned the worst score ever. 

Together Penn alumni can petition the university to stay true to its purpose to further knowledge and education, protect free expression in policy and practice, and embrace institutional neutrality, not political favoritism.

Penn Alumni Free Speech Alliance founder, Alexander McCobin is a powerhouse Penn alumnus who isn’t willing to let his university decline without a fight. Co-founder of Students for Liberty and founder and current CEO of Liberty Ventures, McCobin discovered an enduring passion for civil liberties while studying philosophy at Penn. 

McCobin remembers his time at Penn fondly. 

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

School Ranking

248 of 251

Due Process

Sexual misconduct: C

Non-sexual misconduct: B

Title IX: C

Speech Code

Yellow

Free Speech Climate

Overall score: 12

More Info

“One of my best memories of Penn was participating in a debate between the Penn Libertarians and the International Socialists,” he recalls in an interview with FIRE. “I enjoyed engaging with students and professors with different views from my own. I’m concerned that Penn is no longer a university defined by conversations like this.”

Since Penn lost its green light rating from FIRE in 2019, there has been a clear downward trend at Penn. We’re worried that Penn is no longer training students to understand the importance of personal liberty and the value of conversations across differences. 

Luckily, change is possible at Penn. FIRE’s 10 common-sense reforms for colleges and universities is a clear guide for reversing the rising tides of illiberalism on college campuses.

Join McCobin and the rest of the Penn Alumni Free Speech Alliance and let the administration know that alumni still value free expression at Penn. 

Together Penn alumni can petition the university to stay true to its purpose to further knowledge and education, protect free expression in policy and practice, and embrace institutional neutrality, not political favoritism.