At least one liberal college professor has not forgotten what universities are supposed to stand for.
Nicholas Creel, an associate professor of business law at Georgia College & State University, is defending his decision to sponsor his school's Turning Point USA chapter. He wrote that while he describes himself as a liberal and critic of President Donald Trump, his support of the organization is more of a testament to ensuring college remains a place where students are able to experience a free marketplace of ideas.
"Being a liberal professor who advises a branch of Mr. Kirk’s organization isn’t a contradiction; it’s proof that exchanging ideas with both conviction and civility remains possible when we’re willing to model it," Creel wrote in the New York Times. "However, my dedication to the principles of free speech put me in a position where I felt that I couldn’t refuse a student’s request to help. He [the student] said that other faculty members had already turned him down. My understanding is that one conservative faculty member declined because he was concerned that saying yes might rankle his liberal colleagues."
Creel wrote that he "wasn’t signing on as an ideological ally," but to ensure that the "new TPUSA chapter had access to the same resources as any other student group, and to serve as an advocate if the group’s members ever felt singled out for their beliefs."
While most liberal professors might try to demonize a student trying to start a conservative organization on campus, Creel noted that the student "was nothing less than a politically engaged young man who was sincerely interested in constructive dialogue." A reminder to the professor of how he himself had been when he was a student.
However, this was all years ago.
Professor Creel said that once the student stepped down as president of the TPUSA chapter, he didn't expect any further interaction with the group. That all changed on September 10, when Charlie Kirk the Founder of TPUSA was assassinated.
"But when Mr. Kirk was killed, I knew the students in our TPUSA chapter would be devastated. I reached out to one of the current presidents — whom I’d never met before — to offer support in whatever way I could," he wrote. "I didn’t expect any trouble, but I wanted these grieving students to feel as safe as possible as they mourned."
The TPUSA president at Georgia College & State University responded to Creel’s surprise—and then stunned him even more by saying she actually enjoyed reading his opinion pieces.
"Here was a conservative student leader telling a liberal professor that she not only sought out his opposing viewpoints, she also took something from them," Creel said.
In that moment, I saw what’s possible when we choose genuine intellectual engagement. She wasn’t retreating into an echo chamber or dismissing liberal arguments out of hand — she was grappling with ideas that challenged her own, embodying the spirit of inquiry that universities like mine pride themselves on fostering.
We can only hope that Professor Creel stands as an example to his colleagues and begins to set a new precedent. However, the bulk of American liberals have refused to extend an olive branch.