AltLiberalArts Lecture Series: The Birth of Academic Freedom in Germany
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Online Event
4 PM New York l 10 PM Vienna
AltLiberalArts presents a lecture by Nicholas Tampio, professor of political science at Fordham University, on the history of the idea of academic freedom. In this lecture, Professor Tampio explains how the founders of the modern research university—including Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Friedrich Schilling, and von Humboldt—justified academic freedom to a skeptical public and politicians.
Nicholas Tampio is a professor of political science at Fordham University. He earned a BA from New College, an MA from Indiana University, and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University. Tampio researches the history of political thought, contemporary political theory, and education policy. Tampio is an associate editor of The Journal of Politics, and he often writes for public facing outlets such as the Boston Globe, USA Today, and the Washington Post. He lives with his family in Ridgefield, Connecticut.