Wow, I now have some small reason to hope for the future of the University of Colorado at Boulder: The new President, Hank Brown, will be the keynote speaker of the annual conference of the National Association of Scholars. (It’s in Boston in November. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend.)

For those unfamiliar with National Association of Scholars, their mission is:

The National Association of Scholars (NAS) is an organization of professors, graduate students, college administrators and trustees, and independent scholars committed to rational discourse as the foundation of academic life in a free and democratic society. The NAS works to enrich the substance and strengthen the integrity of scholarship and teaching, persuaded that only through an informed understanding of the Western intellectual heritage and the realities of the contemporary world, can citizen and scholar be equipped to sustain our civilization’s achievements. In light of these objectives, the NAS is deeply concerned about perspectives within the academy that reflexively denigrate the values and institutions of our society. Because such tendencies are often dogmatic in character and indifferent to both logic and evidence, they tend to undermine the basis for coherent scholarly dialogue. Recognizing the significance of this problem, the NAS encourages an assertiveness among academics who value reason and an open intellectual life.

With a mission like that, Hank Brown’s choice to speak at their conference is hugely significant! And welcome news!