Dear Members,

As a new academic year gets underway, I am enjoying the energy and hope this season always brings. But this year is also different. 

The questions we’re hearing recently from HxA members aren’t so much about why, as in “Why should colleges and universities care about the principles of open inquiry? Why do we think there’s a problem on campus? Why do we spend our time on these issues?”

Instead, the questions are more about how. “How can I make a difference here on campus? How can I influence my institution? How can I find the tools I need, and the colleagues who can help me?” More and more, these questions don’t just come from our members, but from institutional leaders—presidents and provosts—who see what needs to change and are reaching out to HxA for help.

HxA will always be there to make the case about “why” higher education needs a culture of open inquiry, including the free exchange of ideas, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. But in this moment of “how,” we need to enlist our colleagues, share our practical ideas, and coordinate our efforts to enact deep, sustainable change on campus. Here’s what we’re doing:

-Our Open Inquiry U Reform Agenda sets our direction. This agenda for change is our framework we will come back to, again and again.

-We’ll be building, refreshing, curating, and sharing all the best resources we can find, in support of our Open Inquiry U Agenda, so our members and communities are equipped to foster open inquiry in deep and lasting ways on their campuses.

-Where we find college and university leaders who support this agenda, we will collaborate with them as principled allies in our efforts. We’ll advise them and connect them with you—our members—and provide resources while still telling them the truth about what needs to change.

-Speaking of our members on campus, the Campus Community Network is continuing to grow, with a new cohort of institutions joining our impactful community. (Stay tuned for details next week).

HxA is making significant investments toward these goals, and will be hiring additional team members to work collaboratively with you. Keep an eye on emails and our Careers page for the latest opportunities. 

We are also making some adjustments to the way we work:

-Open Calls will be a new feature of our communications with members, asking for your help on specific topics and resources that can make a difference now. Some will be calls to volunteer your expertise, others will be paid opportunities. Still others will be calls for your stories; your writing and research and teaching; and your ideas for practical resources and tactics in driving positive change on your campuses. 

-HxA’s directory of member names is now member-gated, meaning it is only visible to members via logging into the website. This way, you can continue to find colleagues who share our values while knowing your information is safeguarded within our community. Our Campus Community co-chairs, Heterodox Community moderators, and Segal Center fellows are still publicly listed on our website, and we’re proud to have them as public faces and principled allies.

-To make sure our Campus Communities can efficiently connect with local members, we will share local members’ email contact information with our member co-chairs—solely for the purpose of communicating about HxA business. If this applies to you, you’ll have a chance to opt-out if you prefer. (Members: see your email later today for this option.) 

-Growing our membership will be critical this year to supercharge our change efforts across the academy. The most effective way for you to help us grow  is to invite a friend or colleague to become a member. So I’m pleased to announce our new member referral program. Next week, members will receive an email with a unique URL to our Membership Application that you can share with colleagues. When someone applies to become a member using your unique link, you’ll earn credits toward discounts in our merchandise store and be entered into monthly book drawings at each new milestone. (I’m only wondering which member community will recruit the most!)

-Our conferences and events this year will also focus on local action. We will not host a national conference in 2026, instead focusing on regional conferences like the one HxA members just held in Colorado. Regional convenings at the University of Maryland and Simon Fraser University are already planned, and we’ll announce additional regional conferences later this year. Our virtual programming—webinars and member-exclusive workshops—will continue throughout the academic year. Find events and register here. 

As HxA is more present on campuses—and present on more campuses—we have decided not to also be in statehouses with elected officials. That means that we won’t maintain a “public policy” team going forward. When it comes to state and federal policy, we will keep monitoring, analyzing, and speaking out when relevant to our efforts, but we have several partner groups who are better equipped to fly to state capitals and testify about legislation. By working collaboratively with our committed members, HxA can drive critical internal reforms on campuses across North America and beyond. So change on campus is where we will focus. 

I’m so thankful for each of you—for your commitment, your courage, and your creativity. I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together in the year ahead.

Yours,
John Tomasi