Jan 27, 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (ET)
Academic Freedom and the Law is AACTE’s first webinar in the Academic Freedom Initiative, created in response to increasing constraints on educator preparation programs and designed to support members in navigating the legal and practical complexities of academic freedom in higher education. The webinar will explore key questions, including how the law protects academic freedom, whether DEI-related policies may be unlawfully discriminatory, and the extent to which universities may regulate speech related to race or gender. Participants may submit questions during registration or during the webinar. Moderator: Christine Carrino Gorowara, Ph.D. Dean, School of Education Trinity Washington University AACTE Board Member Christine Carrino Gorowara, Ph.D. is dean of the School of Education at Trinity Washington University, where she leads programs in teacher preparation and the development of educational leaders and policy professionals. A nationally recognized leader in educator preparation and accreditation, she serves on the board of AACTE and is past chair of the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR). Gorowara joined Trinity in 2023 from the University of Delaware and brings extensive experience in accreditation and quality assurance, having served as a vice president of both the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). She also cofounded the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). Her work centers on strengthening and diversifying the educator pipeline, advancing culturally responsive and antiracist preparation, and improving program quality through data use. She is co-editor of Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Program Improvement and holds advanced degrees in mathematics and education. Speakers: David D. Cole, J.D. Professor Georgetown University David Cole is the Honorable George J. Mitchell Professor of Law and Public Policy and the former National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (2017–2024). One of the nation’s most influential voices on constitutional law and civil liberties, he brings deep expertise on free speech, equality, national security, and the Supreme Court. A frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books and legal affairs correspondent for The Nation, Cole has published widely in leading academic journals and major national media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. He is the author or editor of ten books, several award-winning, including Enemy Aliens and Less Safe, Less Free. Cole has argued landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Texas v. Johnson, Bostock v. Clayton County, and National Rifle Association v. Vullo. Renowned for his clarity and insight, he brings legal doctrine to life for diverse audiences. David M. Rabban, J.D. Professor The University of Texas at Austin, School of Law David Rabban is a nationally recognized scholar and authority on free speech, academic freedom, and higher education law. He served for many years as counsel to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and later as its general counsel from 1998 to 2006, followed by chair of the AAUP Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure from 2006 to 2012. He joined the University of Texas School of Law faculty in 1983. His teaching and scholarship focus on the constitutional foundations of free expression, the legal rights of faculty and institutions, and American legal history. He is the author of the award-winning Free Speech in Its Forgotten Years, 1870–1920, and numerous influential articles published in leading law journals, including Yale Law Journal and Stanford Law Review. Professor Rabban’s most recent book, Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right (2024), offers timely insight into current debates shaping higher education today.