Niehaus named UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement senior fellow

09 Jun 2022    

Elizabeth Niehaus, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education and Human Sciences, has been named a Senior Fellow of the University of California’s National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. This selection marks the first time the Center has bestowed the honor of Senior Fellow since it began naming fellows in 2018-2019.

“The UC Center is an amazing organization dedicated to promoting a nuanced understanding of complicated free speech and civic engagement issues in higher education,” Niehaus said. “I look forward to the opportunity to support that mission through my research and outreach efforts over the next year as Senior Fellow.” 

Niehaus will continue the research she began as a fellow in 2020 – 2021, exploring college students’ moral reasoning around issues of free expression in the classroom, challenging the crisis narrative and providing an evidenced-based, nuanced perspective on how students are navigating challenging classroom discussions.

“This opportunity to expand my research through the Senior Fellowship will enable me to strengthen my findings and really make a difference in how we think about this phenomenon of self-censorship on campus,” Niehaus said.

Each year, the Center selects fellows from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds such as law, journalism, higher education, social science, technology and government. Fellows selected receive funding to further the national conversation related to expression and democratic participation on college campuses including how to advance campus dialogue and further diversity and inclusion.

Their projects have a direct impact on individuals and communities across campus and are focused on enhancing our understanding of how free speech is—and can be practiced—in American higher education as well as how to foster civic engagement in university life.