Vice Chancellor Brandi Hephner LaBanc Named a 2022-23 Fellow for the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Brandi Hephner LaBanc has been named a fellow for the 2022-23 academic year. Working with Neal Hitchens (professor of higher education, University of Mississippi), Hephner Labanc will undertake a research project entitled “Social Media: The Real Campus Free Speech Zone.” This collaborative research project and related publication and dissemination plan will identify the challenges and opportunities related to online speech of college students, specifically in relation to social media.

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Each year, the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, based out of the University of California, selects fellows from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds such as law, journalism, higher education, social science, technology and government. Fellows selected receive funding to further the national conversation related to expression and democratic participation on college campuses including how to advance campus dialogue and further diversity and inclusion.

Their projects have a direct impact on individuals and communities across campus and are focused on enhancing our understanding of how free speech is—and can be practiced—in American higher education as well as how to foster civic engagement in university life.