UC Santa Cruz professors Jody Greene and Mary Beth Pudup are among 19 leading University of California scholars in a variety of fields--ranging from religious studies and law to medicine and philosophy—who have been named to the inaugural academic advisory board of the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.
Board members will assist in the creation of the center’s project priorities and future selection of fellows. They also will contribute written pieces on topics related to their scholarly activities for the center’s forthcoming “Weekly Conversation” column, which will be featured on its web site.
“The members of our academic advisory board represent the UC system’s breadth of talent and expertise; the perspectives they bring will help shape the national conversation on free expression in higher education,” said Michelle Deutchman, the center’s executive director. “I am excited to collaborate with them to further the center’s important work.”
Greene is associate vice provost for teaching and learning, director of the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL), and a professor of literature at UC Santa Cruz. Pudup is director and associate professor of the campus’s Community Studies Program.
The University of California--birthplace of the Free Speech Movement--launched the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement in 2017 to support and advance research, education and advocacy on these challenging issues.
Last year, the center announced its first set of fellows. These 10 scholars, students, and analysts from across the country are researching timely, vital First Amendment topics. As part of the fellowship, each spent a week in residence at one of the 10 UC campuses to engage with students, faculty, administrators and community members.
The center’s first national conference, #SpeechMatters: The Future of Free Expression on Campus, will be held March 21 at the UCDC offices in Washington, D.C. The event will provide an opportunity for elected officials, university leaders, and others to explore new approaches to engaging and educating students about the critical role of the First Amendment in American democracy.
The new Academic advisory board members are:
Ahmad Atif Ahmad - UC Santa Barbara
Professor, Religious Studies; Chair of the Council on Faculty Welfare, Academic Freedom, and Awards
Gerardo Aldana - UC Santa Barbara
Professor, Anthropology and Chicana/o Studies; Chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies
Amy Binder - UC San Diego
Professor, Sociology
Simone E. Chambers - UC Irvine
Professor, Political Science
Michael Mark Cohen - UC Berkeley
Associate Teaching Professor, African American Studies & African Diaspora Studies
Lee G. Cooper - UCLA
Professor Emeritus, Marketing
John Ganim - UC Riverside
Distinguished Professor, English
Jody Greene - UC Santa Cruz
Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning; Director of the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning; Professor of Literature
David Kaye - UC Irvine
Clinical Professor, Law
Suneil K. Koliwad - UC San Francisco
Associate Professor, Medicine, Diabetes Center; Gerold Grodsky, PhD/JAB Chair in Diabetes Research
Dana Nelkin - UC San Diego
Professor, Philosophy
Tung Nguyen - UC San Francisco
Stephen J. McPhee, MD Endowed Chair in General Internal Medicine; Professor of Medicine
Constance Penley - UC Santa Barbara
Professor, Film and Media Studies
Mary Beth Pudup - UC Santa Cruz
Director and Associate Professor, Community Studies Program
Randolph M. Siverson - UC Davis
Professor Emeritus, Political Science
Nella Van Dyke - UC Merced
Professor, Sociology
John Villasenor - UCLA
Professor, Public Policy, Electrical Engineering& Management,
Eugene Volokh - UCLA School of Law
Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law
Keith David Watenpaugh - UC Davis
Professor and Director, Human Rights Studies
