{"id":13380,"date":"2026-08-11T08:21:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/?p=13380"},"modified":"2026-08-11T08:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:21:18","slug":"mizzou-earns-top-rating-for-free-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/2026\/08\/11\/mizzou-earns-top-rating-for-free-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"Mizzou earns top rating for free expression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"The Columns\" class=\"wp-image-13381\" style=\"width:350px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20250703_CB_Columns-Drone-00006-2048x1535.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was thrilled to learn that Mizzou\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fire.org\/colleges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">earned a \u201cgreen light\u201d speech code<\/a>\u00a0rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) for the second year in a row. This recognition represents the organization\u2019s highest rating for policies that protect free expression and places Mizzou at #16 in the country. Other notable rankings in Missouri include Washington University at #72\u00a0and\u00a0Missouri State University at #123. The\u00a0University of Kansas\u00a0is\u00a0at #177.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FIRE\u2019s speech code rating scale (green light, yellow light, red light and warning) evaluates policies that impact expression and reflect an institution\u2019s overall commitment to free speech. Nearly all of Mizzou\u2019s policies receive green light ratings, including those related to our advertised commitments to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/freespeech.missouri.edu\/commitment-to-free-expression\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free expression<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This prestigious rating shows our dedication to academic freedom, including its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umsystem.edu\/policies\/collected-rules\/faculty-bylaws-tenure-regulations\/ch310\/310.010_academic_freedom_and_economic_security_of_academic_staff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">privileges, limits and obligations<\/a>, and to building a campus environment where all are able to speak, learn and discover. It\u2019s our shared responsibility to treat everyone with civility and respect, while also holding accountable those who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/freespeech.missouri.edu\/policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">violate our policies<\/a>. Working together, we are committed to creating a welcoming environment where each member of our community can learn, grow and thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I \u00a0also want to recognize the strong leadership from our Board of Curators, including Chair Todd Graves and Curator Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield. Their unwavering dedication to free expression has set a standard of excellence for all Tigers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mizzou\u2019s green light rating reflects what alumni already know: Our campus is a special place where you can engage with others, share your voice and make an impact on Missouri and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014 Mun<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was thrilled to learn that Mizzou\u00a0earned a \u201cgreen light\u201d speech code\u00a0rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13380"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13384,"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13380\/revisions\/13384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/president.missouri.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}