New Opportunities for Free Speech in American Higher Education

The School of Public Policy is honored to host its annual Charles and Rosemary Licata Lecture featuring Dr. Mike Shires, chief of staff and vice president for strategic initiatives at the University of Austin (UATX).

Shires will discuss new opportunities for free speech in American higher education. In his talk, Shires will explore challenges, what is at stake for our republic, and opportunities for new beginnings for free speech in academia. 

The Charles and Rosemary Licata Lecture Series was established through an endowment for the School of Public Policy by benefactors Charles and Rosemary Licata. The Licata Lecture Series unites students, alumni, and community leaders with leading academics and practitioners shaping policy matters in the new century.

Lunch will be provided for all registered guests. 

Speaker: Mike Shires

Dr. Mike Shires is chief of staff and vice president for strategic initiatives at the groundbreaking University of Austin (UATX). Shires oversees a team developing the nation’s newest and most innovative university, finding new pedagogical and curricular models to prepare students to succeed in today’s dynamic workforce, and building an institution that rethinks the administrative model of today’s universities. Their mission is to build a new university that is not only committed to the pursuit of truth through open dialogue and civil discourse but whose structures, culture, and processes will sustain that pursuit. Before assuming his role at UATX, he served as a professor and administrator at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy for 23 years.

His scholarly work includes higher education governance, finance, and design; economic development, K-12 school reform, public finance, and the ethics of governance and leadership.  He has been a frequent television and radio contributor on political and economic issues and has appeared in numerous media outlets including CNN, Bloomberg TV, the Economist, USA Today, and many local print, radio, and television programs. He has a PhD in public policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School, an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA.