Discussion – The State of the United States: Universities and Higher Education

On 30th April 2026 by Mark Walters

Tuesday 19 May 2026, 6:30 pm – 8:45 pm BST, London, UK

 

Speakers:

Frederick M. Lawrence (Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Distinguished Lecturer, Georgetown University Law Centre, and former President of Brandeis University)

Professor Larry Kramer (President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE))

Chair: 

Professor Erin Delaney (GCDC Director, UCL Laws)

Introductory Remarks:

Professor Eloise Scotford (Dean of UCL Laws)

Concluding Remarks: 

Dr Michael Spence AC (UCL President and Provost)

 

About the Event

Frederick M. Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and Distinguished Lecturer, Georgetown University Law Centre, and the former President of Brandeis University, will be in conversation with Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice-Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Together, they will explore the profound political, legal, and cultural pressures reshaping US universities. From academic freedom and campus governance to public trust, funding, and the role of higher education in sustaining democratic values, this discussion will address how higher education institutions are navigating an era of polarisation and constitutional strain. Drawing on their experience leading major research universities on both sides of the Atlantic, they will reflect on what is at stake for higher education as a cornerstone of democratic society. The event will consider how universities can continue to serve as spaces for open inquiry and civic education, and what lessons may be learned for higher education globally.

The event will be introduced by Professor Eloise Scotford, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Laws and will conclude with remarks by Dr Michael Spence AC, the President and Provost of University College London. Professor Erin Delaney, Director of the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism, will chair the conversation.

 

Find more information and book your free place here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/2026/may/state-united-states-universities-and-higher-education

This event will be held at Cruciform LT1, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, UK.