Mizzou’s newly appointed chancellor, Alexander Cartwright, has said that the university’s definition of diversity must include “diversity of thought.”
Speaking at his introduction at the university, Cartwright applauded Mizzou’s commitment to “inclusion, diversity and equity.”
“It is a top priority here, as it should be,” he said. “Inclusion, diversity and equity are going to prepare our students for the global workforce. And we’re not just talking about racial diversity. Diversity includes race, gender, geography, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and diversity of thought. Exposing students to different cultures and perspectives help them form a better understanding of our global economy.”
That’s an important specification for a university that’s spent the past three semesters under fire for suppressing free speech.
Famously, Mizzou’s communications instructor Melissa Click was caught on camera during the 2015 protests calling for “muscle” to remove student journalists.
But even if Cartwright does prove to be a departure from Mizzou’s recent PC notoriety, he’s fighting an uphill battle. In the three semesters since the protest, freshman enrollment has plummeted by 35 percent, according to early enrollment numbers released in May.
— Jillian Kay Melchior writes for Heat Street and is a fellow for the Steamboat Institute and the Independent Women’s Forum.