Terms of Respect

How Colleges Get Free Speech Right

By: Christopher L. Eisgruber

Narrated by: Maxwell Zener

The president of Princeton, a constitutional scholar, reveals how colleges are getting free speech on campuses right and how they can do better to nurture civil discourse and foster mutual respect

Conversations about higher education teem with accusations that American colleges and universities are betraying free speech, indoctrinating students with left-wing dogma, and censoring civil discussions. But these complaints are badly misguided.

In Terms of Respect, constitutional scholar and Princeton University president Christopher L. Eisgruber argues that colleges and universities are largely getting free speech right. Today’s students engage in vigorous discussions on sensitive topics and embrace both the opportunity to learn and the right to protest. Like past generations, they value free speech, but, like all of us, they sometimes misunderstand what it requires. Ultimately, the polarization and turmoil visible on many campuses reflect an American civic crisis that affects universities along with the rest of society. But colleges, Eisgruber argues, can help to promote civil discussion in this raucous, angry world—and they can show us how to embrace free speech without sacrificing ideals of equality, diversity, and respect.

Urgent and original, Terms of Respect is an ardent defense of our universities, and a hopeful vision for navigating the challenges that free speech provokes for us all.

Critic reviews

“Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right is a forcefully persuasive book on this most crucial, timely topic. Engagingly written, illuminated with descriptions of Christopher Eisgruber’s own experiences as president of Princeton University, and a nuanced discussion of the historical complexity of the subject, this should be a handbook for university administrators in our embattled time. Highly recommended.” —Joyce Carol Oates

“Chris Eisgruber is one of the nation’s great university leaders of our time. If you have ever wished for a wise and humane inquiry into the complex issues involving the role of universities, the meaning of freedom of speech, and the creation of our civic culture, this book is your answer. It is brilliant and engaging, and so profoundly important to read at this moment.”—Lee Bollinger, former President of Columbia University

“Chris Eisgruber is the most important voice in higher education at this crucial moment. His intelligence, moral clarity, and pragmatism shine through every page of this book. Eisgruber dismantles the conventional wisdom that speech and inclusivity are at odds. In doing so, he offers a realistic, clear-eyed view of college campuses that will force his readers to think hard about their own assumptions—exactly what a true educator should do.”—Heather Gerken, Dean of Yale Law School

“In Terms of Respect, Christopher L. Eisgruber deftly unravels the specious dichotomy between free expression and equality. Drawing on his dual experience as a constitutional scholar and university president, he reveals how America's commitment to robust free speech emerged from the civil-rights movement itself. As our democracy faces unprecedented polarization and our discourse splinters across digital platforms, Eisgruber offers a timely meditation on how universities might model the deliberative community our republic so desperately needs. The health of our civic life, he argues, depends on cultivating both the courage to speak boldly and the wisdom to listen across our deepest differences.”—Anthony Appiah, Silver Professor of Philosophy and Law, NYU

President Eisgruber’s level headed explanation of free speech on American college campuses

Mr Eisgruber brings a constitutional scholar, as well as decades of experience as a university administrator, to this excellent book. I liked how he wove in key Supreme Court cases to his explanation of what’s right and wrong on our campuses .

Laugh out loud funny

I wish I could say this is a serious effort to deal with the complex issue of free speech on campus by a serious man. I cannot say so, alas. Instead of grappling with the problem, the author simply denies its existence. Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, this administrator claims that our colleges and universities are models of the free exchange of ideas. Are they a bit liberal? Sure, but that’s not a problem since professors are reliably committed to truth. It was hard to prevent myself from laughing. There are a lot of good books on this topic and all share a recognition of the problem. This is the exception and not worth reading.