Congratulations to Delaware Association of Scholars president Jan Blits on receiving the Jeane Jordan Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award on February 11! He was honored as a longtime intellectual warrior and for his defense of academic freedom and freedom of speech.
In his acceptance speech, Professor Blits described the residence life program at the University of Delaware, which attempted to re-educate first-year students into a politically correct, anti-American mindset. The program was conducted under the guise of citizenship and sustainability training, and it coerced, shamed, and intimidated students into compliance. Professor Blits and Linda Gottfredson, leaders in NAS’s Delaware affiliate, brought the program into public attention, after which it was quickly shut down by the university.
Professor Blits also spoke about the movement, driven by bodies such as the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), to elevate administrators to the level of “educators.”
He concluded with a charge to defend liberty and stand up to those who would erode it: “We must not fear challenging political correctness in all its forms, especially when it claims the moral high ground, as it always does and which it certainly does not enjoy.”
We at NAS are thrilled to see Professor Blits rightly recognized for his courage in doing just this.
