Watchdog group says these colleges are the worst for free speech

A series of recent controversies helped a higher education watchdog fill out its list of 10 colleges it deemed the worst at protecting freedom of speech.

The Foundation of Individual Rights in Education announced its “ 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech ” Wednesday, with several colleges recently embroiled in free speech controversies prominently featured on the list.

FIRE listed a mix of public universities such as Boise State University, the University of Florida, and the University of North Carolina, and private universities, such as Stanford University, Georgetown University, and Emerson College.

Rounding out the list were the University of Illinois-Chicago, Collin College, Tarleton State University, and Linfield University.

The organization’s president, Greg Lukianoff, said that “each of these colleges had the opportunity to restore the student and faculty voices they censored — but leaders deliberately chose not to do so. … If college leadership is willing to muzzle, censor, and punish their own students and faculty members, the public should know.”