In Focus | Speech & Expression

It’s a conundrum for any democratic society, and it’s no more apparent than at a world-class university like Georgetown: How does a cutting-edge research institution support robust and unfettered expression while ensuring that all students feel valued, safe, and accepted? The answer—and it is never a perfect answer—involves what Erika Cohen-Derr, Assistant Vice President in Student Affairs, calls a “question of balance.” Here, Cohen-Derr, an alumna of the Doctor of Liberal Studies program, speaks with Trey Sullivan, Assistant Dean for Liberal Studies, about how Georgetown seeks this balance. “These issues come up in very philosophical ways, through the curriculum,” Cohen-Derr said. “They also come up in very practical ways through the things that students do inside and outside the classroom.”

Learn more