2024-25 Academic Year Welcome
To: The Caltech Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics
Like many of you, I spent late July and early August inspired by the athletes competing in the Paris Olympics. The grit and perseverance, and sheer dominance, of Katie Ledecky, half a pool length ahead of her competitors in setting an Olympic record in the 1500-meter freestyle, now holding the 20—yes 20—fastest times in history in that event. The athleticism and artistry of Simone Biles, literally soaring over the heads of her competitors and scaling new heights in gymnastics. The power and grace of the track and field stars, the complementary skills of the athletes meshing on the basketball court, at the volleyball net, and powering through the waves.
The bronze medal claimed by the USA men's gymnastics team left an indelible impression in a different way. Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Frederick Richard won the first US men's team Olympic medal since taking bronze in 2008. The team was composed of four generalists and a pommel-horse specialist; of Black, Caucasian, and Asian Americans; hailing from rural Georgia, the Midwest, and the industrial Northeast. They exulted not so much in their individual achievements, but in what they accomplished as a team, about regaining the podium for the United States. They claimed their commonality rather than their differences, touching fists in team huddles and moving arm-in-arm between individual competitions.
There are important lessons for us as members of the Caltech community. We represent every State in the Union and a good share of the countries around the world. We claim different ethnic traditions, hold different political views, have different social expectations, and follow (or not) different religious practices. It would be easy to focus on our differences rather than our commonality, as is so prevalent in today's splintered society.
Instead, we come together, sharing a love for science and technology, aspiring for excellence, and inspired by the quest to deepen our understanding of the universe. But the times demand even more. As has become painfully evident on college campuses across the country, nuanced and respectful disagreement that serves to challenge fixed ideas and change minds—discourse foundational to the creation of knowledge and the educational mission of the university—has been subsumed too often by the baldest forms of invective, sloganeering, social media distortions, and even physical violence.
Caltech is committed to the free exchange of ideas. As is stated in our Policy on Free Speech and Expression: "Freedom of expression is a core Institute value, central to Caltech's mission of creating knowledge and educating the next generation of intellectual leaders. We encourage open dialogue as a way of addressing differences, learning from one another, and finding common ground, while acknowledging the inevitability and value of community disagreement."
Even though Caltech is a private institution, under California law we afford the same First Amendment protections to our students that are provided to students at public institutions. Disagreeable, objectionable, and even offensive speech is protected so long as it does not constitute harassment or a credible threat of violence. These exceptions are examples where the Institute is empowered to act and will act. It is important to remember that as disorienting and painful as the expression of First Amendment rights can be, they protect unpopular views and may be needed most in the long run by those in the minority.
The intersection of the law, our values, and our hopes for community requires a shift in focus from what we can do to what we should do. What kind of Caltech community do we want to fashion together? How can we reclaim the open dialogue that lies at the heart of a successful education and impactful research?
To help us along this path, we will launch a series on free speech and civil discourse during fall term. Dialogues across Difference will feature speakers and group discussions and provide resources for community members to develop the skills necessary to engage in difficult conversations with civility, while promoting understanding of other viewpoints, empathy for different perspectives, and inclusion. Topics will range from the history and importance of civil discourse in the university to exploring the relationship between academic freedom, the Institute's free speech policy and code of conduct, and community values. This program is especially salient given the approaching anniversary of the October 7 attacks, and the continuing, unfolding human tragedy of the hostages and the Gaza civilian populace.
I drew from an additional source of inspiration this summer, re-engaging with Henry David Thoreau's essay on "Civil Disobedience" and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Moved by a passion to address injustice, both urged nonviolent action to force society to confront the wrongs they observed. In Thoreau's words: "Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison." Many of today's protestors are animated by the same spirit. What can be missing, however, is what Thoreau and King profoundly recognized, that the moral import of their actions depended on taking full responsibility for their actions.
This autumn will be a contentious time in America, especially with a presidential election on the horizon. Higher education will be in the limelight and a target for scoring political points. Caltech has the advantage of being an intimate community that applies its quantitative skills to make the world a better place. We boast a fair share of Olympic-quality intellects. But we are not immune to the forces that stoke division. It is imperative that as our differences emerge, we challenge ideas, not people. We must take seriously our commitment to civil discourse, our refusal to villify others, a shared responsibility for our words and our deeds in the context of creating community.