The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has been selected to be part of the inaugural cohort of Heterodox Academy’s (HxA) Campus Community program. Launched in 2018, Heterodox Academy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in New York City that works to positively impact the quality of research and education by promoting viewpoint diversity, open inquiry and constructive disagreement across higher education.
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld, an assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Vineetha Menon an assistant professor in the department of computer science, will be Co-Chairing the UAH HxA chapter. “I couldn’t be more excited about what this will be able to provide for Faculty and Students alike,” says Dr. Tenhundfeld.
The HxA membership is made up of more than 5,400 faculty, staff and students who come from a range of institutions, from large research universities to community colleges. Members represent nearly every discipline and are distributed throughout 49 states and across the globe. The new Campus Communities are organized by HxA members at each university.
Each Campus Community is led by several HxA member co-chairs comprised of university faculty, staff or graduate students. With the support of HxA, the co-chairs foster a community of academics to organize events, host monthly gatherings and collaborate with leaders on their campuses.
The new Campus Communities will give HxA members opportunities to work directly on their campuses with peers and supporters to encourage positive culture change. Each Campus Community receives at least $3,000 in program expenses directly from HxA to support activities in its first year, as well as intensive consulting from HxA staff and peer support from across the Network.
The co-chairs of each of Campus Community are meeting virtually this winter with the HxA team to kick-off the HxA Campus Communities Network. HxA plans to expand with future cohorts this year. To learn more, visit Heterodox Academy or contact Nicole Barbaro, Director of Communications, at press@heterodoxacademy.org.
