The Council of Independent Colleges received a grant of $275,000 to support the work of the Campus Free Expression Project (CFEP). The CFEP addresses the urgent challenge facing higher education: today’s college students lack essential civil discourse skills, having grown up in an era of hyperpolarization with limited exposure to diverse viewpoints. Between October 2025 and March 2027, CIC will revitalize intellectual pluralism on over 50 campuses through two national faculty symposia, workshops at major higher education conferences, targeted webinars, and sessions on civil discourse at CIC’s leadership development programs. CIC will promote the updated Campus Free Expression: A New Roadmap, create a professional learning community through a partnership with the Constructive Dialogue Institute, and provide direct consultations to institutional leaders. By equipping presidents, faculty members, and administrators with proven strategies to foster open inquiry and free expression, CIC will strengthen higher education’s vital civic mission of preparing students to become independent thinkers who can engage constructively across differences and reinforce democratic norms during this critical time.