I had planned to use this holiday to celebrate the founding of Colorado Mountain College’s new Center for Civics Education and Engagement . Instead, this moment calls for clarity — and reassurance — about CMC’s unbending commitment to respectful, dignified dialogue as captured in the principle of free speech, our indispensable right. I may be one of the few college presidents who regularly teaches undergraduate courses. On the first day of class, I told my students that they will not be shielded from unsettling or controversial ideas. Dr. Matt Gianneschi is the president of Colorado Mountain College.