About

The University of Austin, not to be confused with the University of Texas at Austin, is a proposed liberal arts college founded by critics of higher education and alleged cancel culture, including Pano Kanelos, Bari Weiss and Andrew Sullivan. After its creation was announced in November 2021, critics took issue with myriad aspects of the venture, including the fact it was not yet an accredited university, does not confer degrees, does not plan to have a physical campus and currently offers a summer program called "The Forbidden Courses" that would see students participate in conversations about topics that "lead to censorship."

History

On November 8th, 2021, Bari Weiss shared a letter on her Substack from the University of Austin founder and former president of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Pano Kanelos, announcing the formation of the school.^[1] In the letter, Kanelos bemoaned how in higher education, faculty are "being treated like thought criminals," expounding on how supposed censoring at universities has led scholars to avoid certain topics (selected passages shown below).

It’s not just that we are failing students as individuals; we are failing the nation. Our democracy is faltering, in significant part, because our educational system has become illiberal and is producing citizens and leaders who are incapable and unwilling to participate in the core activity of democratic governance.

If these institutions are not open and pluralistic, if they chill speech and ostracize those with unpopular viewpoints, if they lead scholars to avoid entire topics out of fear, if they prioritize emotional comfort over the often-uncomfortable pursuit of truth, who will be left to model the discourse necessary to sustain liberty in a self-governing society?

When the school was announced, it offered no degrees or accredited courses.^[2] Instead, it offered a summer program called "The Forbidden Courses," which "invites top students from other universities to join us for a spirited discussion about the most provocative questions that often lead to censorship or self-censorship in many universities." It plans to establish an undergraduate college by 2024.

Faculty include Caitlin Flanagan, Larry Summers, Stephen Pinker, Heather Heying, David Mamet and others.

Online Presence

The University of Austin attracted criticism from a variety of sources after it was announced. The Mary Sue^[3] described the endeavor as a "grift," writing, "Weiss is hardly alone among conservative public figures in turning the stoking fears of 'cancel culture' into a full-time grift. Her companions in this latest fundraising-heavy scheme are a motley crew of right-wing intellectuals with careers built on yelling about ideological persecution." In Haaretz,^[4] Abe Silberstein wrote, "I am left with a number of pointed questions for Weiss and her collaborators, as well as a strong feeling that what will emerge in Austin will contribute to rather than ameliorate the problems bedeviling the American academy." He also expressed doubt that the project could secure the funding required to achieve its goals.

Online, critics mocked the venture for its lack of accreditation among other issues. Comedian Patton Oswalt^[5] joked that the school's mantra could be, "We think educational standards have dropped so we created an unaccredited university that does not give out degrees" (shown below, left). Twitter user @MarisaKabas^[6] shared a joke acceptance letter from the University (shown below, right), which included lines like, "According to a statistic we saw on Parler, higher education fails a staggering 4 in 10 of its students. Here at University of Austin, we'll achieve a perfect 10."

Search Interest

External References