MFSA Conferences
MFSA Conferences
MFSA holds a conference every fall at a facility near the MIT campus. Our conferences explore different approaches to restoring freedom of expression, full academic freedom, and tolerance for viewpoint diversity to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Speakers at our conferences come from across the MIT community -- faculty, administrators, students and alumni -- and also include thought leaders on university free expression from other campuses. Our conferences are open to all members of the MIT community and to others who are interested in freedom of expression in higher education.
2025 Conference
Our 2025 conference was built on the theme of “A Community Advancing Open Discourse,” presenting sessions exploring how the different participants in the MIT community can each play a role and work together to strengthen open discourse at MIT. Conference panels explored this theme from the perspectives of MIT faculty, students, trustees, and alumni.
The 2025 conference's keynote speech was delivered by Jonathan Rauch, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought and The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth.
View more information on the conference and its sessions, along with links to videos of the conference sessions, at the 2025 conference page and on our YouTube page.
2024 Conference
The theme of the 2024 conference was Turning the Tide for Free Expression at MIT. The panels presented different initiatives being undertaken by faculty, students, researchers and administrators to improve the climate for civil discourse and reduce the culture of self-censorship at MIT. Speakers from outside MIT also presented important ideas for fostering freedom of expression and academic freedom at their own universities.
The keynote speech at the conference was presented by Harvard University professor Steven Pinker. He gave a strong arguement that universities must play a key role as "rationality promoting institutions" to preserve and promote our national culture.
View more information on the conference and its sessions, along with links to videos of the conference sessions, at the 2024 MFSA Conference page.
2023 Conference
The theme of the 2023 conference was Building an Open Culture for Free Expression at MIT. The panels explored the various ways students and faculty – both inside and outside MIT – are working to promote a culture of free inquiry on university campuses.
The keynote speech at the conference was given by Brown University professor Glenn C. Loury. He gave a powerful warning of the negative consequences for freedom of expression that can result from the contemporary embrace of antiracist policies and practices.
View more information on the conference and its sessions, along with links to videos of the conference sessions, at the 2023 MFSA Conference page.
